


Twilight reinvented with Solangelo

by demigodslove4ever



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Crossover, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fun, How Do I Tag, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Tried, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Insanity, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Other, Percy Jackson crossover twilight, Please Don't Kill Me, Same Performer in Different Roles, This Is STUPID, Universe Alteration, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-01-19 13:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12411444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demigodslove4ever/pseuds/demigodslove4ever
Summary: What happens when the ever boring twilight become a part of the lgbt+ community?I wrote this because I wanted to know what would happen if two boys fell in love, one vampire.So who better than my fav ship - Solangelo!This is for fun though and I won't tolerate any ridiculous comments. This is absolutely a work done just for my internal satisfaction and entertainment.This a story where the characters of one book take part in a different universe. Nor characters or the story belongs to me.





	1. First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> So you know I was relatively very bored when I wrote this crap. He he... (^_^) 
> 
> Anyways the characters are all changed from the twilight story line and instead of them their are character of Pjo and HoO, even a bit ToA.
> 
> E.g, Bella becomes Will, Edward becomes Nico and so on... It might be confusing at first but may get clearer as chapter goes on. 
> 
> This is just for fun. I repeat FOR FUN!! I would continue this story till the meadow part and if I get enough comments to carry on, I will. 
> 
> Enjoy!!!

**Twilight reinvented: Solangelo**

Preface

I have never given much thought to how would I die- even though I have had several reasons for the past few months - and even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. I knew it was such a girly thing to say but as my death loomed in front of me, I couldn’t care less. I stared across the room without breathing in the eyes of the hunter who looked pleasantly back at me. But surely, it was a good way to die in place of someone I love, noble even. I knew if I hadn't come to Forks I wouldn't have been here but even now I don't regret it. When life offers a dream far beyond your expectations it isn't right to grieve when it comes to an end. The hunter smiled as he sauntered forward to kill me. And the beautiful face of the death that had come to me ages ago glowed behind my eyes. 

~~~

 

**_1\. First Sight_ **

The driver drove us to the Airport, My mom had figured that she wanted to talk to me this ride, adding that she could afford a driver now. The windows were rolled down, and even though I demanded the air conditioner to be switched on, My mother decided against it. She chatted on every stupid topic, which she didn’t do often, the temperature Seventy – Five degrees in Phoenix. I was wearing my favorite shirt, a sleeveless, Fall Out Boys black tee. I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry on item was a hoodie.

"Will," My mom said for the millionth time. "You don't have to go." She said as usual, the thing she had been saying for the past six weeks, as I got up on the plane. 

My mom, Naomi Dwyer, looked nothing like me, her hair was burgundy and tied in a fish tail braid. She was small and lithe and had nimble fingers worthy of a musician-which she was- and had a serious expression, while I on the other hand am blonde, built like an athlete-which I am- and I obviously smiled, a lot. 

I didn't want to go, yet I had too, I thought who would look after her now, who would fix her hair as well as all the meals, who would go shopping with her so that she does not buy all the clothes 2 sizes small. But she has Michael now, I informed myself.

"Mom, I told you I want to go." I lied and smiled, I was always a very good liar but now that I had told this lie for the past month I had even started to believe it.  
“You know you don't have to do this, me and Michael will postpone our promotion tour and do it when summer break starts so you can come with us." She said and tried to stop me but even then I could see the sacrifice in her eyes.

"Don't worry about me mom I'll be great." I say and hug her.

"Okay tell Lester I said Hi." 

"I will," I say and hug her again “I love you, bye.” and then she was gone, along with Phoenix. 

And now I was on my way to Forks. In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It was this town and its gloomy shade that my Mom escaped with me when I was only a few months old. And now I have exiled myself to there to spend some quality time with my father Lester. 

It was a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle and another hour up on a small plane up to Port Angeles and then an hour drive back to Forks. I had no hatred towards Forks it was the drive back to it.  
It wasn't that I didn’t like my father, he and I were almost alike. 

But the car drive I was dreading because Lester had no job when he and my mom married and they lived on my grandparent's money not to mention he was always a 'jack of all trades and good for nothing' but when my mom and me left him he got the job of the Police Chief of Forks. And I had to drive to my house in a police car and that is the exact reason he had agreed to help me buy a car. Because I refused to be driven in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a police cruiser.  
When I landed in Port Angeles it was raining-I didn't think of it as an omen just unavoidable-and saw my dad leaning against his cruiser.  
He was smiling like he always did- my mom had told me that the female officers had trouble focusing for almost two months. Lester had always been like that, too charming too be true, a natural Playboy, dated everyone and by everyone I mean boys too but though he would never admit it, I could tell he was in no way over my mom.

He caught me in a hug as I stumbled down the plane. "It is good to see you Will" he laughed as he turned me towards his cruiser.

Even though me and he were alike in looks, he was more of an open person while I was not what anyone would call verbose. "You haven't changed much" he said as he put my luggage in the trunk. “How is Naomi?" 

"Mom's great. It's good to see you too dad" I wasn't supposed to call him Lester to his face.  
"So I found a good car for you. Really cheap" he said when we were strapped in.  
"What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said good car for you as opposed to 'good car'.  
"Well it's a truck actually, a Chevy " Hmm, a Chevy. I thought to myself. It was a long time since I had seen a Chevy.  
"Where did you find it?" I asked instead.  
"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is a tiny Indian reservation on the coast.  
"No"  
"He used to go fishing with us during the summers" He prompted.

That would explain why I didn't remember him. I had a pretty good ability to block painful memories, ‘cause nothing beats fishing with two really patient elders when your six years old.

"Well he's in a wheelchair now" Lester continued when I didn't respond "He can't drive now and he offered to sell me real cheap" He said smiling.  
"What year is it?" and I could tell by the way he furrowed his eyebrows that he was hoping I wouldn't ask this question.  
"Billy has done a lot of work on the engine – it's only a few years old really " I did not believe this, did he really think that I would give it up so easily.  
"When did he buy it" I ask him  
"He bought it in 1984, I think"  
"Did he buy it new?"  
"Um... no it was new in early sixteens or late fifties at the earliest " He admitted sheepishly  
"Le–Dad I really don't know anything about cars and if it broke down or something, I couldn't fix it and I am still so low on funds I don't think I could afford a mechanic..."  
"Really Will the thing runs great. They don't built them like that"  
_The thing...the way he said it made me feel sorry for it, it needed a nickname. I thought. ___  
"Okay how cheap is cheap" I ask after all it was a thing I couldn't comprise on.  
"Well son. I kind of already bought it for you" Lester said looking at me hopefully.

____

_Wow, Free._

“Dad you didn't have to do that. I was gonna buy it myself"  
"I don't mind son. I want you to be happy here" He said looking straight in my eyes and I knew he meant it. Lester was very comfortable when expressing his emotions and me not so much. Guess I get that trait from my Mom, cause I was looking straight ahead when I responded "Thanks Dad. I appreciate it" 

"Well it was my pleasure" He said laughing but I could tell he was a bit embarrassed. We made some more small talk on the weather and that was pretty much it for Conversation. I guess Lester figured it out that I didn't like to speak after leaving Phoenix, so he focused on driving.

Forks was beautiful, of course–I had to give it that much. Everything was green, the trees, their trunks covered in moss, the canopy overhead and the floor covered in ferns,  
it was just too much green - An Alien planet.

Eventually we reached Lester's house, he still lived in the two-bedroom house he'd brought with my mom with his parent's money in his early days of marriage.  
Those were the only days they had – the early ones. And in front of the never changing house was a new –well new to me– car. It was a faded yellow, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. And for some reason. I loved it. I could totally imagine myself inside it. And it also kind of looked tough old hag that could be seen in an accident, totally unscratched and and surrounded by the wreckage of the car it had destroyed.

"Whoa. Dad it is really nice. I love it" I say running towards it.  
"Glad you like it son" He said.

It took only one trip to go to room with all my luggage, I wasn’t even sure I would call it that. My room was familiar, it belonged to me since I was a baby. The wooden floors, the peaked ceiling, the yellow walls, the white curtains around the windows. The only changes were the bed for the crib, the desk and the most recent was the second hand computer, with the phone line for the modem, stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was because my mom wanted to keep in touch. The rocking chair was still there from my childhood. But there was only one bathroom and I was okay by that. It was torture when this was the arrangement when I was living with mom, when her funds were low.

And even though Lester can be the most annoying person sometimes he doesn't hover and he left me to myself leaving me so that now I could think of tomorrow. 

Forks high school had a total of only three hundred and forty-seven–now forty-eight–students, the majority was pretty low as there were seven hundred students in my junior class alone, back home in Phoenix. All of the kids here had grown up together, their grandparents had been toddlers together. 

I would be the new boy from the big town, a curiosity, a freak.

It didn't matter even if I looked as the average boy from Phoenix. It didn’t even matter that I was pretty good in basketball. The problem is that I am bisexual. And who am I kidding, if I couldn't find a niche in three thousand what were my chances here?

I didn't relate well to people my age. The truth is I don't even relate to people, period. Even my mother to whom I was the closest, we were never on the same page, or on the same tune. Sometimes I wonder if I saw the same things in the world that the others saw through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my mind. But the cause didn't matter. But the effect did, and tomorrow was just the beginning.

I couldn't sleep that night, the constant whooshing of the wind didn't let me and then at last, long after midnight did I sleep. Breakfast with Lester was uneventful. He wished me luck but I thought it would go to waste. Good luck tended to avoid me. Lester went earlier, leaving me to stare at the dark paneled walls of his kitchen, the yellow cabinets and the white linoleum floor. Sitting on one of the mismatched chairs. I looked over the microwave on which their were pictures of Lester and my Mom, which further proved that my father had never gotten over my mom.

And suddenly I was feeling sick, I needed to get out of the house. I grabbed the raincoat – which had a feeling of a biohazard suit – fished out the key that was always under the eaves by the door and was out f the house in less than two minutes. Outside, It was just drizzling, not enough to soak me. I couldn't pause and admire my car. I wanted to get rid of the mist that clung to my blonde hair. Inside the car was dry and clean, Either Billy or Lester had cleaned it up. I revved the engine and it started quickly, much to my relief but the sound was of a tuba blown very badly, well truck this old ought to have a flaw. I tried the radio and it worked, a bonus I hadn't expected.  
Forks High School wasn't hard to find though I hadn't even seen it. It was a number of buildings made of red bricks and a sign that said Forks High School. I pulled in an empty spot in front of the first building which said Front Office, and I knew from the less people that I should not park here but I figured I should ask directions inside instead of driving around in the rain like an idiot. 

I went inside and surprisingly it was more warm than I expected. I went towards the lady behind the long counter that cut the room in half. She was a big red-haired woman who wore a big oversized orange tee that had something like Camp written on it.  
She looked up. “How can I help you?"  
"Hi I'm William Solace" I informed her and saw the immediate recognition pass in her eyes. Everybody knew about me, the topic of the recent town gossip for sure. The son of Chief Solace and his fleetly ex wife has come home at last.  
"Of course" she said and started shuffling through a stack of papers then precariously found a bunch of papers "Here, I have your schedule and a map of the school" she told me the easiest way to each class and gave me slips that I should give the teachers for them to sign.  
Then she smiled at me, she too like Lester wanted me to be happy here and I smiled as convincingly as I could and saw from the blush that I had convinced her. Well at least someone here won’t say it again and again. I thought.

By the time I got outside other students were filling her. I followed the flow of traffic and parked in an empty spot and cut off my engine before I could get attention.  
I looked around and saw more cars were like mine, and I meant as old as my grandma, and there only were two expensive cars one, was a shiny new Volvo and other was a black Mercedes and they stood out.  
I inhaled, You could do this, no one's going to bite you, I said to myself and then exhaled. My first class was English and I found the building marked '3' easily, glad I had actually paid attention to the nice woman.  
I gave my slip to the teacher and he gawked at me, I simply pointed to seat and he nodded not telling me to introduce myself. It was hard for the students to stare at me turning their heads but they managed. Mr. Mason (The name was told to me by a girl whose name I didn't get) gave the basics: Chaucer, Faulkner, Shakespeare, Bronte.... I've already read all of them so it was comforting and boring. I wondered if my mother would send me my previous essays. I thought of all the different types of arguments we would have while the teacher droned on.  
When the bell rang the same girl who had given me the name came up to me. She was basically a small girl with two ponies and really white teeth. Typically A little too girly girl.  
"You're William Solace aren't you?" She said flipping her ponies, she seemed as the average over-helpful girl. I knew I would meet some eventually, but not this early.  
"Will" I corrected her. Everyone within a three seat radius looked at me.  
"Where's your next class?" she asked  
I had to rummage my bag to find the schedule "Um...Government with Jefferson in building six"  
"I'm heading towards building four, I could show you the way..."  
Really over-helpful " I'm Lacy by the way " she supplied. I smiled and nodded.  
We got our jackets and headed in the rain.

"So this is very different from Phoenix" she said. After awhile, obviously bored by the silence.  
"Very" I replied, trying to speak in one-word answers.  
"It doesn't rain there much I suppose"  
"Three or four times"  
"Wow I wonder how that would be" She wondered  
"Sunny" I told her.  
"Oh That would explain your gorgeous tan" she said flirtily and I could feel my blush.  
"Um...Thanks" I said not sure what else to say.  
She walked me all the way to the door although it was clearly marked.  
"Well Good luck" she said as I touched the handle "Maybe we'll have some classes together“ she seemed hopeful. I smiled vaguely and went inside.

The rest of classes passed in the same fashion.  
The trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made me introduce my self. So Naturally I stammered, smiled a lot and went back to my seat, scratching the back of my neck nervously. After two classes I recognized some faces and saw that some girls and boys too were braver than the others and introduced themselves, though to be honest their names flew out my mind the moment they were gone. Well at least I never needed the map.  
One boy sat with me in both Trig and Latin and he walked me to the cafeteria too. He was smaller than me and had brown hair, and his face held a mischievous glint, so I was absolutely not surprised when he prattled about teachers and how many pranks he would play on all of them.  
He led me to a table in the cafeteria and introduced his friends. I tried hard to remember their names, and had a new relegation that if I focused on something I could do anything. 

The boy's name was Cecil, A Midwestern type of girl Lou Ellen, Lacy was also there, a obvious drama queen Drew, a sweet silent girl Kayla and her boyfriend Malcolm, a boy from south Paolo. A eccentric boy Austin, and another one named Jake. Maybe…  
Then Cecil said something that literally shocked me

 

"I hope you don't mind but we are a different bunch, because I am bi, Drew, Lacy are pan, Paolo is gay, Austin and Kayla and Malcolm and also Jake are the only straight here. Oh and Lou Ellen, is lesbian" I gaped at him and he just shrugged while the rest laughed at my expression.  
Then I thought If I should tell them that I'm Bi too so I did. I cleared my throat and said "Well I'm Bi too" and Cecil patted my back "Welcome to the group" I nodded and then the conversation started happening.  
It was there trying to make conversation with eight curious open strangers that I first saw them.

There were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. 

They were seven of them. They weren't talking and they weren't eating though they each had a tray of untouched food in from of them. They weren't gawking at me unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without the fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. but it was none of these thing that caught and held my attention.  
They didn't look anything alike. One of the four boys, one was big–muscled like a serious weight lifter with dark hair cut in military style but with a baby face. The other was taller, leaner but still muscular and blonde. Another was skinny but still carried himself in such way that told that ‘it was not good to mess with him', he was raven haired. The last was lanky, less bulky, with shaggy black and brown hair and his posture said that he was grim and unhappy. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college or even teachers rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the one you see at the sets of a Californian movie, the kind that made every girl take a hit on her self esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden and curly the one you see in princesses. She also had a know-it-all look. Which somehow was bit intimidating adding.

The other one was really pretty as if she knew everything about beauty, she was a little dusky and had lll red hair tied in two braids by which feathers were also dangling. The last one was African-American but still was beautiful in her own way, her hair was untidy and hazel colored with a hint of brown every strand or two. She was like a pixie.  
And yet, they were all exactly alike. They were all chalky pale except the dusky and the African-American one, They all wore a certain glow. All their eyes were dark despite the range of hair and skin tones. They all had dark shadows under their eyes – purplish, bruise like shadows. As if they all were suffering from a sleepless night or done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features were straight, perfect, angular.

But all this was not why couldn't look away.  
I stared because their faces, so different, so similar were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. These were faces you never expected to see except on the airbrushed pages of a Fashion Magazine. Or in a painting drawn by a painter depicting an angel. It was hard to say who was the most beautiful–maybe the perfect blonde or the or the dark haired grim one.

They were all looking away–away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. 

As I watched the tall, the model one rose, with her tray–unopened soda, unbitten apple–and walked away with a quick, graceful lope that belonged on a runway. I watched, amazed at her lithe dancer's step, till she dumped her tray and glided through the back door faster than I would have thought possible. My eyes darted to the others who sat unchanging.

_“who are they?" _I ask the girl, the one who was lesbian, her name long forgotten. As she looked up to see who I meant– though already knowing by my tone –and suddenly he looked at her, the grim one, the boyish one, the youngest perhaps. He looked at my neighbor just for a fraction of a second and then his dark eyes flickered to mine.__   
He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief glance his face held nothing of interest– it was as if she had called his name and he had looked up in an involuntary response already decided not to answer.  
She giggled in embarrassment and looked at the table as I did. Then Cecil cleared his throat. "Lou you'll tell him or should I" "I can perfectly manage to tell him" she said in response in a high pitched voice and started to bicker. "Guys" I tell them, they both look at me, "You both can tell me". They both nodded. 

____

"Well" Lou said. "The one that just went is Annabeth Hale". "Jason is her twin brother" Cecil chimed in.  
"Then who looked at us was Nico Cullen, then the skinny one is Perseus Cullen known as Percy and the muscular one is Franklin Cullen called Frank" Lou said. "And then their are Piper and Hazel Dawson" She continued. "And they all live together" Cecil said.

I glanced sideways at the beautiful grim boy who was now looking at his tray and picking a bagel to pieces with long pale fingers. His mouth was moving very quickly, his perfect lips barely opening. The others were still looking away but I felt he was talking to them, quietly.  
Strange, unpopular name. I thought. The kind of names grandparents had, but maybe that was in vogue here –– small town names? Then I remembered even Lou was a normal name so I shrugged it off.

"They're all.....very nice looking" I struggled with the understatement.  
"Yes!" Lou and Cecil agreed together. "But they are all together though –– Frank and Hazel, Jason and Piper, Percy and Annabeth, I mean and they live together " Cecil's voice held all the surprise and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically, though even in Phoenix it would cause gossip. Though I have heard many cases of this happening elsewhere, but maybe they didn’t know that.

"which ones are Cullen?" I ask "They don't look related..."  
"Oh they are not. Dr. Cullen is really young in her twenties or early thirties. They are all adopted. The Hales and Dawsons are foster children"  
"They are old to be foster children"  
"They are now. Jason is eighteen and Annabeth is nineteen, Piper and Hazel too they have lived with Mr. Cullen since their eight he's their uncle or something" Lou said  
"You forgot something" Cecil said "Mr. Cullen is the brother of Mr. Dawson's second wife, they died in a car accident. The Hales are Dr. Cullen's sister's children, who died in a plane crash" "Right" Lou said. Cecil grinned proudly.

"That is really kind of nice–– taking care of children when they are so young and everything "  
"I guess so" Cecil admitted reluctantly and I got that he for some reason didn't like Dr. Cullen and her husband. With the glances he was throwing I guessed it was jealousy. “But I think that Poor Dr. Cullen can't have any kids" he said as if that lessened the kindness.  
Throughout the conversation my eyes flickered again and again towards their table, they sat looking away not eating.  
"Have they always been here" I ask surely I must have noticed them in one of my summers.  
"No" Cecil said "They came here down two years ago from Alaska". In a duh tone.

I felt a surge of pity and relief. Pity because as beautiful as they were they were clearly outsiders and not accepted. Relief that I was not the only new comer here and not the most interesting by any standards.  
As I examined them, the grim one the youngest one of the Cullen’s, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in his expression. As I looked away swiftly, it seemed to me that is glance held some unmet expression. As if he was looking for a thing that would usually be there but wasn’t there this time.

"Which one is the grim, dark haired boy again?" I asked. I peeked sideways at him and he was still staring at me, but not gawking like the others had today –– he had a little frustrated expression. I looked down again.  
"That's Nico. He's gorgeous of course. But don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls and boys are good enough for him" he sniffed a clear case of sour grapes. “I think he is a bit creepy. Always a little sad, But if you had asked about Jason I would have told something else.” he continued rambling on, but I reeled back to her words, boys and girls he had said. Did that mean… No it couldn’t mean that. I argued with myself

"Wait" I whisper shouted, Lou and Cecil both looked at me, I pointed towards Cecil. "You told me that girls and boys, what do you mean" I asked.

"Well, he is the reason we are all open about our sexuality, we thought that if such a person could tell every one he is bi we can too" Lou said and Cecil said once again “But he doesn’t date” wrinkling his nose again. I thought when he had turned him down.  
I bit my lip to hide my smile. I glanced at him again. His face was turned away but I thought his cheeks appeared lifted, as if he were smiling too. And I don't know if it was possible or not but he looked even more beautiful.  
After a few more minutes they all left together they were noticeably graceful –– Even the big, brawny one, it was unsettling. The one named Nico didn't look at me again.

I sat at that table longer than I would've alone. I was anxious not to be late in the class. One of my new acquaintances, who considerately reminded me that his name is Malcom.  
We walked in silence together. He was shy too. When we reached he went to sit at a black topped lab table and he already had a neighbor. In fact everyone had partner, except one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Nico by the dark hair and his haunched posture, next to the only open seat.  
As I walked down the aisle to introduce to the teacher and get my slip signed, I was watching him surreptitiously. Just as I passed he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again–– meeting my eyes with the strangest expression, on his face, it was hostile furious. I looked away.  
I noticed that his eyes were black –– coal black.

Mr. Chiron signed my slip and gave me the book with no nonsense of introduction. And I could tell we would get along well. Still he had no choice but send me to the only empty seat. I kept my eyes down the whole time I went to sit by him. Bewildered by the antagonist stare he'd given me.

I didn't look up as I set my books and took my seat, but saw his posture change from the corner of my eyes, he was leaning far away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his seat and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously I sniffed my armpits, I hadn't had gym till now so I smelled like Cologne that my mother had got me for Christmas. It was an innocent enough smell. I put my head in my hand in such a way that it blocked my face and his, and then I tried to pay attention.  
Unfortunately, it was cellular anatomy which I had already learned. But I still took notes carefully anyway, always looking down.

I couldn't stop myself from occasionally peeking at him. During the whole time, he never relaxed his stiff position. I could see his hand on his left leg, clenched in a fist, tendons straining under his pale skin. He had his sleeves of his black shirt pushed up to his elbows, his forearm hard and muscular beneath his light skin.

The class seemed to drag, was it because the day was coming to an end? or was it because I was waiting for his fist to loosen? it never did. He continued to sit so still that it looked he wasn't breathing. I thought if this was his normal behavior? I thought that maybe Drew really wasn't that sour.  
I couldn't have done anything to him could I. He never knew me till today.  
I peeked up at him and immediately regretted it. He was glaring at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. I flinched and shrunk more in seat, the phrase if looks could kill ran in my mind.

At that moment the bell rang making me jump and Nico Cullen was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose –– he was shorter than I thought –– his back to me and then he was out before even anyone could get up.  
I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. That was so mean. It wasn't fair. I gathered my things and was too out of there.  
"William Solace" a male voice said I turned around to meet the boy who was Gay I thought.  
"Will" I corrected him smiling.  
"I'm Paolo" he said shaking my hand. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself in the cafeteria" He said smiling, he honestly didn't think I smelled.  
"Where's your next class" He asked  
"Gym"  
"Well I have gym too" he seemed thrilled, but it wasn't really that thrilling in a school this small.  
He was a chatterer, he supplied most of the conversation. It seemed that he was in my English class too. He was the nicest person I met today.  
But as we entered he asked "So, Did you like stab Nico Cullen with a pencil or something? I've never seen him act like that" So I wasn't the only one who noticed and it wasn't his usual behavior too.  
"I really don't know, I never talked to him" I said  
"Hmm" we reached the locker room. "He looked like he was in pain" he decided.  
I just shrugged. "He is a weird guy" He said still lingering beside. “If I had sat next to you. I would've talked to you" I smiled at him, he was clearly nice and admiring but not enough to suppress my irritation.

Coach Hedge, the gym teacher found me a uniform that fit me nicely. At home P.E. was only required for two years but here P.E. was mandatory for all four years. Forks was literally my own personal hell. I mean I liked sports but this was too much.  
I watched four volleyball games while running and felt nauseated remembering the number of over excited cheerleaders I have seen around me when I used to play Volleyball.

The final bell rang and I made my way to the office to hand my paperwork. The rain had subsided but the wind had got then colder, I wrapped my arms around myself, to warm up a bit.  
The moment I walked inside the toasty room I almost turned to back out. Standing in from of me leaning against the counter was Nico Cullen. He was arguing with the receptionist in a low attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument, he was trying to trade his sixth-hour Biology to another time –– any other time.  
He didn't notice my entering and I recognized him again from his height and hair. I was keeping my back to the back wall waiting for the receptionist to be free.  
I couldn't believe that this was about me, had I done something so horrible to get a reaction this strong and just my luck from him. 

Suddenly, the door opened and a cold wind gusted inside the room rustling the papers and swirling my hair that it came in my eyes. The boy who cane in merely placed a note in the wire basket on the counter and stepped out again. But Nico's back stiffened and he turned slowly to glare at me –– his face absurdly handsome, his dark hair coming to his eyes –– with piercing, hate filled eyes. And I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising my hair on my arms. The look lasted only a second but it chilled me more than the cold wind.

He turned back towards the lady.  
"Never mind then" He said hastily in a voice like velvet. “I can see that it is impossible. Thank you so much for your help" Then he turned on his heel and glided through the door without another look.

I made my way meekly towards the counter, my face pale for once instead of tan. I gave my slips to the woman.  
"How did your first day go honey" She asked in a gentle voice.  
"Fine" I lied without smiling. It didn't convince her.

I went towards my car, It was the last and I came out to see the black Mercedes disappearing.  
My truck seemed a haven in the green hole I seemed to live. I got in happy to find something not damp and stared out the wind shield. But quickly I felt the need of a heater. So I revved the engine and made my way to Lester's fighting tears –– for the first time –– the whole way.


	2. The Talk (Open Book)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doesn't need one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bored again... So another chappie! Meh... Even I don't know what this chapter means!

2\. The Talk (Open Book)

The next day was better and worse...  
Better because it wasn't raining though the clouds were dark, better because I knew what to hope of my day. Paolo came to sit by me in English and also walked me to my next class, while lacy, the two pony girl glared at him.   
Worse because I was tired, Mr. Garner called me when my hands weren't raised and I had the wrong answer. 

Worse because Nico Cullen was not there at all.

All morning I was dreading lunch and his glances, I even thought I would confront him but knowing myself I knew I had no guts. Totally hopeless. I made cowardly Lion look like the terminator.  
But when I went inside I saw that his six siblings –– well sort of –– were there but not him. I thought he would come in late and my suspicions–– that I was the reason he wanted to change his sixth-hour –– to waste. But he never came. I went to Biology a bit more confidently. And saw that Nico Cullen was really absent today. Paolo came with me like a dog, and I don't mean to be rude. He stuck to my table till the bell rang then, smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with untidy hair and braces. I was happy I had the table to myself.

Still for some reason a nagging voice in my head that he hadn't come because of me, that it was my fault he was absent. But it was ridiculous, how come I had such strong effect on someone. But that didn't stop me from worrying.

After the last bell rang, I quickly went in the locker room, grateful that my over-faithful friend was still playing. I changed and straight away went to my truck. I was going to Thriftway, because when I found out that Lester can not cook for nothing I asked to be given that duty and then I found out that he had nothing except instant noodles so I grabbed the jar labeled food money to buy groceries.

I gunned the engine and pretended to hear that deafening roar from someone else's car. I saw the Cullen’s, Hales and Dawson's getting inside the new shiny Volvo and the black Mercedes. 

Of course.

I hadn't noticed their clothes –– I had been too mesmerized by their faces –– but now I could see their expensive clothes, simple, but the hint of designer origin. Life was always like this, the people who have beauty also had loads of money. I had to restraint myself from laughing at the irony. But anyways, it wasn't like it was buying them any acceptance here.

No, I refused to believe that, the isolation must be their own choice. I couldn't have thought of any door or window that degree of beauty couldn't open. They looked at my roaring truck as I passed them just like everyone else, and I was relieved when I finally got out of school grounds.

When I got home, I put the groceries wherever I found the place. I just hoped Lester won't mind. Then I wrapped two potatoes in foil and put them in oven to bake, covered the steak in marinade and put that in the fridge. 

Then dragged myself and my bag upstairs to do homework. Before that I checked my email for the first time. I got two messages...

"Will" she wrote...  
Will write to me as soon as you get in. Tell me how your flight was. Is it raining? I am almost finished packing for the tour, but I can't find where my pink blouse is honey. Do you know where I put it? Michael says Hi.   
Mom.

And the next one was this morning.  
"William"  
Why haven’t you written to me till now. What are you waiting for. If I hadn't heard from you till 5:30 then I am calling Lester.   
Mom. 

I sighed and checked the clock. I still had a hour and my mom always did things on the exact time, so I started writing.

Mom,  
Everything is great. Of course it is raining. School is nice just a little repetitive. I met some friends who sit with me in lunch and they all accept me as who I am. You know what I mean. Your blouse is at the dry cleaners –– you had to pick it up till Friday. Lester bought me a car. Can you believe it? It is great, old a little but sturdy so it is good. you know for me. Anyway I love you, Mom. But I am not going to check email every few minutes. Okay, relax, breathe. I miss you.  
Will

And then I sent that. And then I decided to read Wuthering Heights –––– just for the fun of it –––– the book we were reading in English class. I'd lost track of time reading when Lester came home. I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and the put the steak in broiler. 

"Will, Son?" Lester called out.

_Who else,_ I thought.

"Hey dad, Welcome home" I said instead.

"Thanks" He said and hung his gun belt and got out of those ridiculous boots while I bustled around in the kitchen. As far I'm aware he had never shot the gun at work but he liked to keep it close.  
When I was younger he used to take out the bullets. I guess now he considered me big enough not to shoot myself by accident and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.

"What's for dinner?" He asked me sheepishly. Mom always deemed Lester the worst cook and his meals weren't always edible, so I expected nothing when he said that because he must have been eating his own made meals.

"Steak and potatoes" I said and he felt clearly relieved.

He seemed awkward standing there in the kitchen not doing any thing and started to rub his neck. 

"Dad you can watch the TV while I finish this” I said helping him, smiling gently.

"Great" he said smiling a blinding smile and went to watch the TV. I called him once I was done. He came sniffing appreciatively. 

"This really smells good"  
"Thanks"

We both sat silently for a few minutes eating. Although Lester was very talkative, he liked the silence -- he got used to that with my mom, that thought made me happy and sad -- we were more than suitable for roommates. So it wasn't uncomfortable. after a while he asked.

"So how was school, did you like it? Did you make friends?" while taking seconds.

"Um...Yeah I have several classes with this boy Cecil and sit with his friends at lunch. There is boy Paolo who is very friendly, Everyone seems pretty nice" With one outstanding exception. I thought but didn't say that.

"That must be the Newton kid. Nice kid – his dad owns the sporting goods just outside of the town, he makes some good money from the backpackers that go through here. But he is gay right?" He asked at the end. I nodded.

"Doesn't matter he is a good kid like you" He added making pretty sure that he didn't have any problem with me being bi.

"Dad do you know the Cullen’s?" I asked after some time.  
"Dr. Cullen? Sure, she is a great women" He said smiling a little.

"The kids...I mean they... don't fit very well in the school" 

Lester surprised me by being angry.  
"People this town" He muttered "Dr. Cullen is a great surgeon, could have worked anywhere in the world make ten times the salary she gets here. It was fortunate to have her - grateful that her husband wanted to live in a small town. And the kids are well behaved and polite. Sure I had my doubts at first, all those adopted teenagers but I haven't had one speck of trouble from them, very mature. That is not what I can say about the kids that have lived here for generations. The kids stick together like a family should, camping trips every weekend......Just because they are newcomers people have to talk." 

That was longest I have ever heard him talking not about himself.  
I backpedaled "No dad I didn't mean it like that. They seemed nice enough but kept to themselves. They are very attractive I must say" I said complementing.

He laughed "You should see the Doctor good thing she is married, many other doctors and interns couldn't focus the first week she was here" He said smiling brightly. He always respected those people who had this effect on others and I did the least cause of it.

Then we lapsed into silence. Lester washed the dishes and told me to go study. See he wanted me to become a doctor and I too wanted it so I happily obliged.

***

The rest of the week was uneventful. I fell into a routine and I now knew if not by name but faces of all the children in the school. By Friday everybody had learnt of my weakness in athletics and tried to defend me. I played bad on purpose because I didn’t wanted to be the center of attraction yet again.

Nico Cullen didn't come back to school.

Everyday I watched anxiously till all his siblings came in the cafeteria and then when I didn't saw him, I relaxed and participated in the conversations. It mainly revolved around a trip to La Push two weeks later which was planned by Paolo, I was invited too and I enthusiastically agreed.

Till Friday I was sure Nico Cullen had dropped out of the school and I was comfortable entering my Biology class but a nagging voice said that I was responsible for his continuous absence… I mean how ridiculous.

My first week passed in a good manner if summed up. On Monday many people greeted me at the parking lot. I didn't know all of them but I still smiled and waved. Paolo took his accustomed seat next to me in English while Lacy glared at him yet again. It was colder this morning but thankfully not raining. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. Straightforward and very easy.

When we waked out, the air was full of bits of swirling white. I could hear people taking to each other excitedly. 

"Wow" Paolo said. "It's snowing"

"Ew" Snow. there went my good day.

"What you don't like the snow" Paolo asked.

"No snow means it is too cold to rain" Obviously "And I thought that it should come down like snowflakes, each one unique and all that. This just looks like the ends of Q-tips" 

Paolo just laughed. "Haven't you seen snow before?"

"I have" I paused "On T.V"

And then a big squishy ball of ice smacked at the back of Paolo's head. We both turned to find where it came from. I had my doubts towards Lacy who was walking away from us towards her next class but in the opposite direction. Paolo apparently had the same idea and bent down to scoop some ice into a ball.

"I see you at lunch okay," I said as I kept walking. "When people start throwing wet stuff I go inside." Paolo nodded as he took aim.

Through out the morning people chattered excitedly about the snow. It was the first snowfall of the season. I kept my mouth shut, sure it was drier than the rain until it melted in the socks.

I walked alertly to the cafeteria with Cecil. Mush balls were flying everywhere. I kept a binder in my hand ready to use it as a shield. Cecil laughed at my antics but something in my expression kept him from lobbing a snowball at me himself.

Paolo joined us at the door. He and Cecil talking animatedly about the snowball fight after cafeteria. I glanced at the corner table out of habit and then I froze where I stood. They were seven people.

Cecil grabbed my hand. "Hey Will. What do you want?" 

I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to look self conscious I reminded myself.

"What's with Will" Paolo asked Cecil.

"Nothing" I answered. "I think I will just grab a soda today" I said and caught up with the end of the line.

"Aren't you a little hungry?" Cecil asked. 

"Actually I feel a little sick " I said my eyes still on the floor.

I sipped the soda slowly my stomach churning. Twice Paolo and Lacy asked if I was feeling alright with unnecessary concern. I said it was nothing but wondered if I should play it out and escape to the nurse.

_Ridiculous, I don't have to run away._

I decided to permit one little glance towards the Cullen's family table. If he was glaring at me then I would skip biology like the coward I was.   
I kept my head down angled my hand such a way that only my eyes were showing. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. 

 

They all were laughing. Nico, Jason, Percy and even Frank hair's were matted with snow. Annabeth and Piper were leaning away from Jason who was shaking his dripping hair towards them. While Hazel tried to bat away Nico's hand which was obviously cold and filled with snow particles. They were enjoying the snowy day like everybody else. But the fact was they looked more out of a movie than normal people.

But their was something different and I couldn't exactly pinpoint the difference. I examined Nico the most carefully. His skin was less pale I decided - flushed from the snow fight maybe - the black circles under his eyes less noticeable. But there was something more I pondered as I stared.

"Will what are you staring at?" Lou intruded following my stare. 

At that exact moment his eyes came to meet mine.   
I dropped my head and shrinked lower in my seat, letting my hands fully cover my face. But in the instant our eyes met I knew he didn't look hostile or something but his face held some unsatisfied emotion, merely curious.

"This is happening the second time" Lou giggled in my ear.  
"I know" I groaned out, she giggled again.

"Well Nico Cullen is staring at you" She whispered.

"He doesn't look angry?" I asked hesitantly. "Does he?"

"No" She said surprised by my question. "Should he be"

"I don't think he likes me," I confided. I still felt queasy and put my head on my arm. 

"Cullen’s don't like anybody......well they don't notice anybody enough to like or hate then but Nico Cullen is still staring" Cecil said, apparently he had a bad habit on listening on everybody.

"Then don't look at him" I hissed.   
He and Lou both snickered but looked away, I lifted my head enough to glare at them both if they resisted.

Paolo then interrupted as he was planning a full on blizzard battle in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Cecil agreed enthusiastically while Drew said she will ,think about it. But I noticed the look on Cecil's face when he looked at Paolo that left little doubt that he would be up for anything Paolo says. I kept silent. I would have to hide in the gym till everyone left.

The rest of lunch hour I kept my eyes on the table seldom sipping the soda. I decided to honor my side of the bargaining made, because he didn't look angry I would go. Still my stomach did little flips at the thought of sitting with him again.

I really didn't want to walk to Biology with Paolo. He seemed a very popular target for snowballs. But when we reached the door everyone groaned beside me, because it was raining washing away the snow. I grinned secretly to myself as I put on my coat. I was free to go straight home after gym.  
On the whole way Paolo spoke a string of complaints as we made our way to building four.  
When we reached I was relieved that my seat was still empty. Mr. Chiron was walking around the class distributing a microscope and box of slides. The class wouldn't start for a few minutes and so I sat on my seat doodling a very bright sun. 

I clearly heard the seat next to me move, but I kept my eyes carefully on the pattern.  
"Hello" Said a quiet, musical voice.

 

I looked up stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away the seat allowed but his chair was angled towards me. His hair was dripping wet and-- disheveled. But it still looked as if he just came after shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly -- well as friendly as an emo can be -- but there was smirk on his lips, and his eyes were careful for some reason. But not that I noticed, anyways.

"I am Nico Cullen" He continued with a hint of Italian accent. "You must be Will Solace. Sorry, but I didn't get a chance of introducing myself last week."

My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. He was also waiting for an answer. But I didn't have anything conventional to say.

"How d-do you know my name?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

He laughed. Like actually laughed, first the smirk broke out in a grin then he laughed out a soft but enchanting laugh.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town has been waiting for you" 

I grimaced, I figured it was like that.  
"No" I persisted stupidly. "I mean why did you call me Will?" 

He seemed confused. "Do you prefer William then?"

"No I like Will," I said. "But Lester -- I mean my dad -- must call me William behind my back -- that's what everybody here seems to know me as." I explained, feeling like the utmost moron.

"Oh." He let it drop and I looked away awkwardly. 

Fortunately Mr. Chiron started the class at that exact moment. I tried to concentrate as Mr. Chiron tried to explain the lab we would do today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as partners we had to separate the slides of root tip cells of onion on different stages of mitosis and label them accordingly. We weren’t suppose to use our textbooks. Then he would be coming in twenty minutes to see who had it right. 

“Get started” He commanded. 

“You first? Partner” I look up to see him smiling a very crooked smile which made me only stare at him stupidly. I mean he really has to stop, I like him more when he is grim, that way he doesn’t drive my heart crazy.

“Or I could start first” He said, smile fading as he suddenly wondered if I was mental competent. 

“No” I flushed. “I’ll go first”

I was showing off, just a bit. I had already had done the lab, so I knew just what to do. It was to be easy. I snapped the first slide and adjusted the focus to 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly and my assessment was confident. 

“Prophase” I announced confident.

“May I look through it” He asked and his hand reached mine to stop me from talking the slide out.  
His hands were icy cold as if he had held them in a snowdrift earlier. But that was not why I jerked them back so quickly. When his fingers touched mine, it stung like an electric current passed between us. 

“I am sorry” He mumbled, and stopped looking for the microscope. I figured he deserved a look so I passed it. He took a even briefer look than me. 

“Prophase” He agreed and wrote it down in our worksheet. He swiftly changed the first slide with the second one, then glanced it with real evident curiosity.

“Anaphase” He murmured as he wrote it down.

I tried to keep my voice indifferent. “May I” I asked.   
He just smirked and handed me the microscope. I looked only to be disappointed. 

Dam it, he was right. 

“Slide three” I asked. And it seemed that he was extra careful not to touch my skin now, because he dropped the slide gently on my palm instead of handing it to me. 

I took the most fleeting look I could manage and announced. “Interphase” I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He just nodded, the smallest upturn of his lips on his face.   
I could have written while he looked at the slides, but his elegant writing intimidated me and I didn’t want to spoil the paper with my clumsy scrawl worthy of a doctor's one. His handwriting was small, and curving and I half thought that he would draw a heart above the ‘I’ like I had seen girls with that kind of writing do.   
We were finished before anyone else, so that left me nothing to do except try to ignore to look at him… unsuccessfully. I glanced beside me, he was staring back at me. The same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. And suddenly I could identity the subtle difference I had noticed in the cafeteria. 

“Did you get contacts or something” I blurted out unthinkingly. _Great. I am becoming Lester._ I thought. 

He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question. “No” He said it more like a question than an answer.

“Oh” I murmured. “I thought there was something different about your eyes.” He shrugged and looked away.

But I actually very clearly remembered that his eyes were different the last time he glared at me. His eyes were flat black which suited him with his pale skin and black, brown hair. Now they were a strange ochre, darker than butterscotch but with the same golden tone, a little more sparkly. I didn’t understand how that can be or he was somehow lying about getting contacts, or Forks was driving me crazy in the literal sense of the word. 

I looked down only to see that his hands were clenched in fists again, and I had the vaguest thought of telling him to stop doing that cause he might burst a vein or something.   
Mr. Chiron came to see why we were weren’t doing the lab, then he glanced over our shoulders to see our completed lab, then he gazed more intently to check the answers.

“So Nico, didn’t you think that William ought to get a chance at the microscope?” He asked after a moment. 

“Will” Nico corrected automatically. “Actually he identified three out of five, sir.” now Mr. Chiron stared at me his expression skeptical. 

“Have you done this lab before?”

I grinned a little too much. “Not with onion cells”

Chiron nodded. “Were you in the advanced placement program in Phoenix?”

I nodded. “But there were only ten people signed up for it” Mr. Chiron said smiling in return.

“I would in that bunch. I guess” I said.

“Well, it’s good that you two are partners” He said mumbling something else as he walked away. After he did I began doodling the Sun again. 

“It’s too bad about the snow right?” Nico asked. It seemed that he was forcing himself to make a small talk with me. Paranoia spread over me as I thought that he had heard the conversation with Drew and Cecil and had decided to prove me wrong. 

I normally wasn’t that confident but being around Nico made me somehow. “You don’t have to make small talk with me. Okay” I said looking at him.

His face grew incredulous first but then broke out laughing. “Well I am bored and nothing to do, so why not?” He said in return, sarcasm dripping. 

“Okay but first I ask something.” I said grinning. He shrugged and nodded. 

“Are you really bi?” I asked a little embarrassed to ask such a idiotic question. 

He laughed but it sounded more like a huff. “Well, Gay would be the right word, I think you heard bi from a girl. I usually say that so they don’t feel bad” He confessed. 

I stared dumbfounded as he said something so casually.   
“Well. No not really. I don’t think it’s bad about the snow” I answered in return to his earlier question and he nodded. 

“You don’t like the snow” It wasn’t a question. 

“Or the wet”

“Forks must be a difficult place to live” he mused.

“You have no idea.” I muttered darkly.

Somehow he seemed fascinated by what I said. I couldn’t imagine why. His face was such a distraction that I didn’t want to look at his face more than courtesy absolutely demanded.  
“Why did you come here?” No one had asked me that – not straight out demanding like he had. 

“it’s… complicated”

“I think I can keep up” He pressed.

I paused for a moment then made the mistake of looking at him. He stared at me with deep penetrating eyes and I answered without thinking.   
“My mother got remarried” 

“That doesn’t sound so complex” He disagreed. But he was suddenly sympathetic.

“When did that happen” He asked his voice still gentle.

“Last September” My voice sounded sad, even to me. 

“And you don’t like him” Nico surmised, he shrugged but his voice was still kind.

“No. Michael is nice, a little too young and over enthusiastic, but nice” 

“Then, why didn’t you stay with them” I couldn’t fathom his interest, as if my dull life story was somehow vitally important.

“Michael and my mom will be traveling a lot. They just released a music album” I half smiled.

“Do I know them” Nico asked smiling in return. 

“Probably not. They will play country music. Travel a lot to play in bars and small music festivals.” 

“So your Mom sent you here so that she could travel with him” He said it as an assumption again not a question. 

My chin raised a fraction. “No she did not sent me here, I sent myself” 

His eyebrows knit together. “I don’t understand” He admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact. 

I sighed. Why was I telling this to him, again? He stared at me obvious curiosity.

“She stayed with me at first, postponed her half of promotioning till summer break, but she missed him. It made her unhappy… So I decided that it was time to spend some quality time with Lester” My voice was glum by the time I finished.

“But you’re unhappy now” He pointed out.

“And” I challenged.

“That doesn’t seem fair.” He shrugged again, while his eyes were intense. 

“Haven’t you heard that Life isn’t fair.” I laughed without humor.

“I think I have heard of that, before” He agreed dryly.   
“So that’s all” I insisted, wondering why he was still staring at me that way. 

His gaze became appraising. “You put on a good show” He said slowly. “And I don’t mean to intrude but I'd be willing to bet that you’re suffering more than you let people see”

I grimaced at him, resisting the impulse to stick out my tongue like a five year old and looked away. 

“Am I wrong”   
I tried to ignore him.

“I don’t think so” He murmured smugly. 

“Why does it matter to you” I asked irritated. 

“That’s a very good question” He muttered so quietly, that I wondered if he was talking to himself. But after a few moments of silence, I figured it was the only answer I would get. 

I sighed, and scowled at the blackboard. 

“Am I annoying you” He asked. He sounded amused.   
I glanced at him without thinking… and told the truth. 

“No I am more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read. My mom calls me her open book.” 

“On the contrary. I find you very difficult to read.” And everything I said and he'd guessed. He meant it.

“You must be a good reader then” I said.

“Usually” He replied, flashing a set of ultra white teeth.  
Mr. Chiron called the class to order then, and I turned to listen to him in relief. I was still in disbelief that I just explained my whole dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me.   
He seemed so engrossed in our conversation, but now that I looked, I could see that he was leaning away again and his hands gripped the edge of the table with unmistakable tension. 

I tried to concentrate as, Mr. Chiron illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector the things I had no trouble seeing from the microscope. But my thoughts were unmanageable.

When the bell finally rang, Nico rushed as swiftly and gracefully as he had last Monday. But unlike that day, he paused, looked at me and said. 

“It was a good talk”. And like Monday I stared at him amazed. 

Paolo came to my seat to pick up my books. I imagined him with a tail.  
“That was awful” He complained. “You were lucky, you had Cullen for a partner.” 

“I didn’t have any trouble with it.” I said, stung by his assumption. I hadn’t told him, that I wanted to be a doctor. I reminded myself. I regretted the snub immediately. “But I have done the lab earlier” I said before he could get his feelings hurt. 

“Cullen seemed friendly enough today” He commented as we shrugged on our raincoats. He didn’t seem pleased about it. 

“I wonder what was with him last Monday.” I said trying to keep my voice indifferent.

I couldn’t concentrate on Mike's chatter on all the way to Gym. And R.E wasn’t enough to hold my attention, either. Paolo was on my team today, so he chivalrously tried to defend me, only to find out in last moment that I could however play Volleyball. Very nicely, that is. So, my whole team watched in amazement as I served. 

The rain was just a mist when I went to the parking lot, but I was a lot happier when I was in my dry cab. I got the heater running, for once ignoring the head numbing roar of the engine. Unzipped my jacket, put the hood down. 

Shook my head to get rid of the droplets still stuck to my hair so the heater could dry it on my way home.   
I looked around to see if it’s clear. That’s when I noticed the white, still figure three cars down, staring intently in my direction. I looked away and threw my truck in reverse, almost hitting a Toyota Corolla in my haste. 

Almost, the key word here. 

Lucky for it, I stomped on the brakes just on time. It was just the type of car my truck would scrap metal off. Taking in a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, I tried again, with greater success. I was looking ahead as I passed the black Mercedes but from my peripheral vision I swear I could see Nico Cullen laughing.


	3. Incident (Phenomenon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes!! I was again bored so here I am!! Anyways... I would like to think that after this chappie only a few doubts will remain... I hope so anyway! Enjoy some Solangelo!!! (^_^)

3\. Incident (Phenomenon)

When I got up the next morning, something was different. There was no fog veiling my window. 

I jumped to look out the window, only to groan in horror.  
Light snow covered the yard, dusted my truck and whitened the road. But that wasn’t the worst part, all the rain last night had frozen solid – coating the needles on trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, making the road a deadly icy slick. I hated it, snow always made me clumsy more than I have inherited by my mom. It might be better for me if I get back to bed.

Lester had long left, in many ways living with Lester was like having a place of my own, and I found myself reveling in the aloneness instead of being lonely.  
I rushed through breakfast, eager to go school. I knew it wasn’t the stimulating learning environment that I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I had to be honest with myself I was eager to get to school to because I would get to see Nico again. And that was really, really stupid. 

I should ignore him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was still suspicious of him. Why would he lie about his eyes? And I hadn’t perfectly gotten over on the hostility he emitted that day, as well my tongue-tidiness whenever I pictured his beautiful face. I also very well knew that his league and my league were two spheres that didn’t touch.  
It took every ounce of my concentration to not shatter my teeth my chattering them. Absolutely today was going to be nightmarish. 

 

Driving to school I distracted myself by thinking about Paolo and Lacy. I looked the same as I had in Phoenix but here girls and boys were far more attentive towards me than there. Maybe because there, they all had seen me go through all the awkward phases of adolescence, and here I was a novelty. Where novelties were few and far between. Whatever the reason, Paolo's puppy dog behavior and Lacy's apparent rivalry with him was disconcerting. I didn’t know if I prefer being ignored.

My truck seemed to have no problem with the white sheet of ice that covered the roads. I drived slowly, though, not wanting to pave a wave of destruction through Main Street.

When I got off my truck in school, I found out why I little to no trouble with the ice. Something silver caught my eyes at the back of the truck. I walked to the rear – to examine the tires. There were chains crisscrossed in diamonds on the tires. Lester must have gotten up extra early to put snow chains on my tires. My throat felt tight, I wasn’t used to being taken care of and Lester unspoken concerns made me want to hug him. 

I was at the back of the truck struggling to keep the series of emotions the snow chains brought, at bay when I heard an odd sound.  
It was a odd screeching sound that was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up startled. 

I saw several different things at one go. Nothing was moving in slow motion, though, instead the adrenaline was so much it made everything seem fast. I noticed Nico Cullen’s face staring at me in horror. His lips pulled between his teeth, he stood out in all the faces same look of shock on each of their faces. But of more importance was the blue van skidding, right where I was standing and I didn’t even had time to close my eyes. 

My life didn’t flash before my eyes or whatever, I just braced myself for the impact and to see myself on the asphalt, bleeding. 

Just before I heard the shattering of glass something hit me hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. I felt a cold, hard body pinning me down, my head cracked on the black road, fuzzing my sight. Still I managed to see two little hands push against the van that was like out for my blood. The next thing I saw was black and brown shaggy hair, pushing my legs out the van's reach yet again and holding the van up for a few seconds till the pale hands deemed it safe for my legs. A metallic thud rang out in my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, exactly where my legs had been a few seconds ago. 

 

Everything was silent for a moment, there was still buzzing in my ears and my vision was still a bit disrupted, but it was impossible to not recognize the voice that was calling out to me. I could perfectly hear, the low, frantic voice of Nico Cullen saying something in my ear. 

 

“Will? Are you alright?” He asked.

“I'm fine” My voice sounded of a terrified cat. I tried to sit up but then I realized that Nico was holding me by the waist in an iron grip.

“I don’t think you should move now” He said slowly although he didn’t know that there was no ringing in my ears now. “I think you hit your head pretty hard” 

I became instantly aware of the throb at the center of my skull.  
“Ow” 

“That’s what I thought” and his voice, for some reason was absurdly trying to keep in laughter. 

I looked at him incredulous, the voices around us more clearer and not at all calm. 

“What the hell did…. How did you come here so fast” I said trying to get my bearings. 

“I was standing right next to you, Will” He said, his tone serious now. 

I tried to get up again, and he let me, sliding as far away in the limited space. I looked at his innocent and concerned expression, there was absolutely nothing left of the grim, emo boy that I had seen the first day. Instead there was a boy who looked concerned for me, his golden eyes blazing, face beautiful…  
_And what was I asking him? ___

__That’s when the others found us. Tears steaming down their faces, I couldn’t find the least reason why they were crying, I had been the one who had been almost crushed._ _

__“Don’t move” Someone instructed._ _

___“Get Drew out of the van!” Someone else shouted._  
There was a flurry of activity around us. I tried to get up when Nico's pale, cold hand pushed me down again.  
“Stay put for now” He said. 

__“But it’s cold” I whined, feeling the chattering of my teeth starting. I was surprised when he chuckled._ _

__“You were four cars down” I suddenly remembered and his chuckle stopped short. “You were by your car."_ _

__“No. Will, I was right next you and I pushed you out of the way” He unleashed the full power of his eyes on me. But I obstinately held on, I was right and he was going to admit it, no matter what._ _

___“No” I set my jaw._  
“Please, Will” Nico said. His face now pleading.  
“Why?” I demanded.  
“Trust me” He said, his soft voice overwhelming.  
“Will you explain everything, later” I asked. I could hear sirens whaling now.  
“Fine” He snapped, exasperated.  
“Fine” I said equally angry that he wasn’t telling me. 

__It took six EMTs’ and two teachers –Mr. Varner and Coach Hedge – to push the van far enough away to bring the stretchers in._ _

__Nico vehemently refused his and when I tried to do the same, the traitor told that I had a concussion. I mean I perfectly knew what the symptoms are of a Concussion but they didn’t listen. I almost died of humiliation when they put on a neck brace. They loaded me in the back while, Nico rode in the front – it was maddening._ _

__What was worse that before I could be taken away without any fuss, Chief Solace was on the spot._ _

__“Will” He yelled when he realized that I was on the stretcher.  
“I'm fine Les – Dad. Calm down. Breathe in and out” I said trying to calm him down. _ _

__He tried to do that while turning to the closest EMT for a second opinion. So naturally the ambulance got a police escort._ _

__I tuned everything out to consider the jumble of inexplicable things that swarmed chaotically in my head. I tried to think of a solution – a solution which excluded the assumption that I was insane._ _

__I was put in E.R. A nurse came and put a pressure cuff on the hand and a thermometer under my tongue. I felt annoyed at the uncaring personnel of the staff. They didn’t even drew the curtains. So I thought that I was not obliged to wear the neck brace. The moment the nurse went away, I unfastened the Velcro and threw the hideous thing, under the bed._ _

__There was a flurry of hospital staff again as another stretcher was moved. I immediately recognized the infamous Drama queen Drew Tanaka under the blood stained bandaged wrapped tightly around her head. Drew was looking a hundred times more awful than me, but she was staring anxiously at my direction._ _

__“Oh My God. Will. I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed._ _

__“It’s okay Drew – you look terrible, are you alright?” I said concerned but she obviously ignored me and kept talking._ _

__“I was moving so fast. I thought I would kill you. I hit the ice wrong and there weren’t snow chains…”_ _

__“Don’t worry you missed me” I said trying to be gentle. Though she was annoying me now._ _

__“How are you not squished. How did you escape.” She asked in her own way._ _

__“Nico um… he pushed me out of the way.” I said not wanting to lie but lying anyways._ _

__“Who?” She asked. Maybe she is experiencing trauma. I thought._ _

__“Nico Cullen, he was standing right behind me and he pushed me out of harm's way.” I thanked the gods, that however I didn’t lie I was a good liar._ _

__Drew seemed puzzled. “Wait. Cullen? I didn’t see him. It all happened so fast but.” She said wincing from the probable throb in her bloodied head._ _

__“Drew seriously. Are you okay.” I asked again._ _

__“I am fine, I should be the one asking you that and Nico… Is he okay?” Drew said scoffing off the concern._ _

__“Yeah, Nico is alright. He is here somewhere. They didn’t make him use a stretcher.”_ _

__They then wheeled me to take an X Ray of my head and I was right. I didn’t have a concussion. I asked if I could go home. They said that I had to look a doctor first. So I was trapped in E.R. with a annoying Drew. Who kept up a series of apologies and promises of making it up to me. I finally closed my eyes and Drew's rambling turned into constant humming of “sorry”_ _

__“Is he asleep?” A musical voice called out and my eyes flew open.  
Nico was standing at the foot of my bed, smirking. I glared at him._ _

__“Hey, Nico I –“ Drew began._ _

__Nico interrupted her, “It’s okay. No blood, no foul.” He said._ _

__His expression towards her, was different from when he looked back at me._ _

__He moved to sit on the edge of Drew's bed and smirked at me again. Drew seemed to literally fainting, I wasn’t sure if it was because of Nico or the medicines she had taken earlier._ _

__“So, what’s the verdict?” Nico asked me, a smirk still playing on his lips._ _

__“There is absolutely nothing wrong with me, trust me, I know when people have problems. But they won’t let me go” I complained. Then my eyes narrowed. “How come you’re not trapped to the gurney like the rest of us.”_ _

__“It’s all about your connections” He said mirroring my expression, but a smile was visible._ _

__Then a doctor walked in and my mouth fell open. She was young, with blond hair, chocolate color every few tresses… and she was more beautiful than the actresses I'd seen on television. She was pale though, dark shadows under the eyes. From Lester’s description, she had to be Nico's Mother._ _

__“Mister Solace” She said in an appealing voice. “How are you feeling”_ _

__“I’m fine” trying to communicate the fact that I wanted to get out of there._ _

__She looked at my X-rays and smiled appreciatively.  
“Well your X – Rays are good” she said. “Does your head hurt. Nico said you hit your head pretty hard.” _ _

__“it’s fine” I said again, hoping it was the last time. Throwing a quick scowl Nico's way._ _

__The doctor's cool fingers prodded my skull, she noticed when I winced._ _

___“Tender?” She asked._  
“Not really” I said, __I've had worse.__  
I heard a chuckle, I looked over to see Nico smiling.  
The doctor seemed surprised by that but she hid it before Nico could see. 

____“Your father’s is in the waiting room, you can go if you want to stay. But come back as soon as you feel dizzy or your eyesight becomes fuzzy.” She instructed._ _ _ _

____“Can’t I go back to school” I asked, imaging Lester trying to be attentive._ _ _ _

____“Maybe you should take it slow, today”_ _ _ _

____“Does he get to go school?” I asked, pointing towards Nico._ _ _ _

____“Well, someone has to spread the good news that we survived.” He replied smugly._ _ _ _

____“Actually” Dr. Cullen corrected, throwing a quick disapproving glance towards Nico. “The whole school seems to be waiting here”_ _ _ _

____“Oh. No” I moaned – thinking about all the people outside bombarding me with questions – covering my face with my hands._ _ _ _

____Dr. Cullen raised her eyebrows. “Do you want to stay”_ _ _ _

____“No. No” I said, hopping out of the bed, quickly. A little too quickly. I staggered from the sudden ringing, Dr. Cullen caught me. She looked concerned._ _ _ _

____“I am really fine” I said before she could say anything. No need to tell her that my clumsiness was hereditary._ _ _ _

____“Take some Tylenol for the pain.” She suggested as she steadied me. She was surprisingly more strong than I had imagined._ _ _ _

____“It doesn’t hurt, trust me” I insisted._ _ _ _

____“It seems like you were extremely lucky” Dr. Cullen said while signing my report with a flourish._ _ _ _

____“Lucky Nico happened to be standing right next to me.” I amended, a hard glance from me on the subject of my statement._ _ _ _

____“Oh, well yes” She agreed, suddenly occupied. She turned to face Drew. My intuition flickered, the doctor was on it, whatever it was. I thought._ _ _ _

____“I am afraid that you have to stay with us a little longer” She said to drew, checking her cuts._ _ _ _

____As soon as the doctor's back was to me, I moved to Nico’s side._ _ _ _

____“I'd like to talk with you” I hissed under my breath. Nico moved a space back, his jaw suddenly clenched._ _ _ _

____“Your father’s waiting for you” He said through his teeth._ _ _ _

____“Yes, but I really want to talk with you, alone” I pressed._ _ _ _

____He glared at me then strode out the long room. I had no trouble keeping pace. When we reached the corner of the hallway, he spun to face me._ _ _ _

____“What do you want from me Will” he sounded annoyed, his eyes cold._ _ _ _

____His unfriendliness intimidated me. But I grew angry why he was being like this. “You owe me an explanation.” I said my words coming out as much as severity I had intended._ _ _ _

____“I saved your life for Hades' sake – I don’t owe you anything.”_ _ _ _

____I flinched back from the resentment in his voice. “You promised.”_ _ _ _

____“Will, you hit your head, you don’t know what you’re talking about” He said, the grim boy side, showing a bit._ _ _ _

____My anger flailed at this. “There is nothing wrong with my head. I told you” I said glaring at him._ _ _ _

____He glared back “What do you think happened, Will?” His tone mocking._ _ _ _

____It all came out in a rush.  
“All I know is that you weren’t standing anywhere near me. Drew also didn’t see you either – so don’t you dare tell me that I hit my head too hard. The van was going to crush us both, but it didn’t and your hands left dents on the cars. The van was going to crush my feet but you held it up…” And I failed to continue. I was so angry that I thought I might explode._ _ _ _

____Nico looked at me incredulous, his face, tense defensive._ _ _ _

____“You know how insane you sound.” He said, his voice still incredulous. It grew my suspicions even more. It looked the kind of line delivered by a skilled actor._ _ _ _

____“You think I lifted a van off you?” He continued, his tone really questioning my sanity._ _ _ _

____I merely nodded, jaw tight._ _ _ _

____“No on is going to believe you.” He said, his voice held the edge of a derision now._ _ _ _

____“I am not going to tell anyone” I said slowly, carefully controlling my anger._ _ _ _

____Surprise fitted on his face. “Then why does it matter” He said sighing._ _ _ _

____“It matters to me” I insisted. “I don’t really like to lie, so there must be a good reason why I am doing it for you”_ _ _ _

____“Why can’t you just say thank you and get over it” He said, his golden eyes blazing. It seemed that the place we were standing started darkening from the power of his anger._ _ _ _

____“Thank you” I said fuming, expectant and waiting._ _ _ _

____“You're not going to let it go. Are you? ”_ _ _ _

____“No.”_ _ _ _

____“Well then I hope you… enjoy your disappointment.” He said turning his back and going out the door._ _ _ _

____Before he could I thought out loud. “Why did you even bother saving me?” I asked frigidly._ _ _ _

____He turned towards me, his face in that instant extremely vulnerable.  
I was distracted by his livid, glorious face. He looked perfectly like an angel, then._ _ _ _

____But then his expressions hardened again and he growled out a “I don’t know” and then he was gone just like that._ _ _ _

____I was so angry that I stormed out of the door to Lester. But when I reached I calmed down, it looked as if everyone I knew in Forks was staring at me._ _ _ _

____Lester was panicky. “Dad. I’m fine. The doctor said everything’s okay. I could go home” I smiled gently at him and he sighed in relief._ _ _ _

____“Let’s go” I urged him then when I saw my type – of – friends coming towards me. Lester put a hand on my shoulder and guided me. I waved half – heartedly, trying to tell them that I was absolutely fine. It was a huge relief— the first time I'd ever felt that way — to, get into the cruiser._ _ _ _

____We drove in silence. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I barely knew Lester was there. I was positive that Nico's defensive behavior in the hall was a confirmation of the bizarre things I still could hardly believe I'd witnessed._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____ _ _

____When we got to the house, Lester finally spoke._ _ _ _

____"Um… you'll need to call Naomi." He hung his head, guilty._ _ _ _

____I was appalled. "You told Mom!"_ _ _ _

____"Sorry."_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____I slammed the cruiser's door a little harder than necessary on my way out._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____My mom had always been a responsible woman but whenever something happened to me she would care nothing of the world.  
So she was in hysterics, of course. I had to tell her I felt fine at least thirty times before she would calm down. _ _ _ _

____Then she demanded to me to come home — forgetting the fact that home was empty at the moment — but her strong voice were easier to resist than I would have thought._ _ _ _

____I was consumed by the mystery Nico presented. And more than a little obsessed by Nico himself._ _ _ _

____Stupid, stupid, stupid. I wasn't as eager to escape Forks as I  
should be, as any normal, sane person would be._ _ _ _

____ _ _

_______I decided I might as well go to bed early that night. Lester continued to watch me_  
anxiously, and it was getting on my nerves. I stopped on my way to grab three Tylenol  
from the bathroom. They did help, and, as the pain eased, I drifted to sleep.  
That was the first night I dreamed of Nico Cullen. 


	4. Invitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will finds out that many people asks him out but he says yes to only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am bored again fellow demigods!!! Cheers to that. And the reason for me to finally get bored is that my winter vacations started and I don't have any tutions. So yeah to that!!! 
> 
> Anyways... Here is another chapter. And if you want please read my other stories too.

**_4\. Invitations_ **

In my dream it was very dark, and what dim light there was seemed to be radiating from Nico's skin. 

I couldn't see his face, just his back as he walked away from me, leaving me in the blackness. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't catch up to him; no matter how loud I called, he never turned.

Troubled, I woke in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep again for what seemed like a very long time. After that, he was in my dreams nearly every night, but always on the periphery, never within reach.

The month that followed the accident was uneasy, tense, and, at first, embarrassing.  
To my dismay, I found myself the center of attention for the rest of that week. 

No one seemed concerned about Nico, though I explained over and over that he was  
the hero — how he had pulled me out of the way and had nearly been crushed, too.

I tried to be convincing. Cecil, Paolo, Lacy, and everyone else always commented that they hadn't even seen him there till the van was pulled away.

I wondered to myself why no one else had seen him standing so far away, before he was suddenly, impossibly saving my life.   
With chagrin, I realized the probable cause — no one else was as aware of Nico as I always was.   
No one else watched him the way I did. 

_How pitiful._

Nico was never surrounded by crowds of curious bystanders eager for his firsthand account. People avoided him as usual, not to mention he was also Emo.

The Cullens, Dawsons and the Hales sat at the same table as always, not eating, talking only among themselves.

None of them, especially Nico, glanced my way anymore.

When he sat next to me in class, as far from me as the table would allow, he seemed totally unaware of my presence. Only now and then, when his fists would suddenly ball up — skin stretched even whiter over the bones — did I wonder if he wasn't quite as oblivious as he appeared.

 

He wished he hadn't pulled me from the path of Drew 's van — there was no other conclusion I could come to.

 

I wanted very much to talk to him, and the day after the accident I tried. The last time I'd seen him, outside the ER, we'd both been so furious. I still was angry that he wouldn't trust me with the truth, even though I was keeping my part of the bargain flawlessly. But  
he had in fact saved my life, no matter how he'd done it.

And, overnight, the heat of my anger faded into awed gratitude.  
He was already seated when I got to Biology, looking straight ahead. 

I sat down, expecting him to turn toward me. He showed no sign that he realized I was there.

"Hello, Nico," I said pleasantly, to show him I was going to behave myself.

He turned his head a fraction toward me without meeting my gaze, nodded once, and  
then looked the other way.

And that was the last contact I'd had with him, though he was there, a foot away from  
me, every day. I watched him sometimes, unable to stop myself— from a distance, though, in the cafeteria or parking lot.

I watched as his golden eyes grew perceptibly darker day by day. But in class I gave no more notice that he existed than he showed toward me. I was miserable. And the dreams continued. 

 

Paolo, at least, was pleased by the obvious coolness between me and my lab partner. I could see he'd been worried that Nico's daring rescue might have impressed me, and he was relieved that it seemed to have the opposite effect. 

He grew more confident, sitting on the edge of my table to talk before Biology class started, ignoring Nico as completely as he ignored us.

The snow washed away for good after that one dangerously icy day. Paolo was disappointed he'd never gotten to stage his snowball fight, but pleased that the beach trip would soon be possible.

The rain continued heavily, though, and the weeks passed.

Cecil made me aware of another event looming on the horizon – he called the first Tuesday of March to ask my permission to invite Paolo to the boys' choice spring dance in two weeks.

 

"Are you sure you don't mind… you weren't planning to ask him?" he persisted when I told him I didn't mind in the least.

"No, Cecil, I'm not going," I assured him.

_Dancing was glaringly outside my range of abilities. It was the only thing I couldn't do._

"It will be really fun." His attempt to convince me was halfhearted. I suspected that Cecil enjoyed my inexplicable popularity more than my actual company.

"You have fun with Paolo," I encouraged.

The next day, I was surprised that Cecil wasn't his usual prattling self in Trig and Spanish. He was silent as he walked by my side between classes, and I was afraid to ask him why. 

If Paolo had turned him down, I was the last person he would want to tell.

My fears were strengthened during lunch when Cecil sat as far from Paolo as possible, chatting animatedly with Lacy.

Paolo was unusually quiet.  
Paolo was still quiet as he walked me to class, the uncomfortable look on his face a bad sign. But he didn't broach the subject until I was in my seat and he was perched on my desk. 

As always, I was electrically aware of Nico sitting close enough to touch, as distant as if he were merely an invention of my imagination.

"So," Paolo said, looking at the floor, "Cecil asked me to the spring dance."

"That's great." I made my voice bright and enthusiastic. "You'll have a lot of fun with Cecil."

"Well…" He floundered as he examined my smile, clearly not happy with my response.

"I told him I had to think about it."

 

"Why would you do that?" I let disapproval color my tone, though I was relieved he hadn't given him an absolute no.

His face was bright red as he looked down again. Pity shook my resolve.

"I was wondering if… well, if you might be planning to ask me."

 

I paused for a moment, hating the wave of guilt that swept through me. But I saw, from the corner of my eye, Nico's head tilt reflexively in my direction.

"Paolo, I think you should tell him yes," I said.

"Did you already ask someone?" Did Nico notice how Paolo's eyes flickered in his direction?

 

"No," I assured him. "I'm not going to the dance at all."

"Why not?" Paolo demanded.

_I didn't want to get into the safety hazards that dancing presented,_ so I quickly made  
new plans.

"I'm going to Seattle that Saturday," I explained. I needed to get out of town anyway — it was suddenly the perfect time to go.

"Can't you go some other weekend?"

"Sorry, no," I said. "So you shouldn't make Cecil wait any longer — it's rude."

"Yeah, you're right," he mumbled, and turned, dejected, to walk back to his seat.

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to push the guilt and sympathy out of my head. Mr. Chiron began talking. I sighed and opened my eyes.

And Nico was staring at me curiously, that same, familiar edge of frustration even more distinct now in his black eyes.

I stared back, surprised, expecting him to look quickly away. But instead he continued to gaze with probing intensity into my eyes. There was no question of me looking away.

"Mr. Cullen?" the teacher called suddenly, seeking the answer to a question that I hadn't heard.

"The Krebs Cycle," Edward answered, seeming reluctant as he turned to look at Mr. Chiron.

I looked down at my book as soon as his eyes released me, trying to find my place.

Cowardly as ever, I shifted my head in my hand in such a way that it his my face. I couldn't believe the rush of emotion pulsing through me — just because he'd happened to look at me for the first time in a half-dozen weeks. I couldn't allow him to have this level of influence over me. 

It was pathetic. More than pathetic, it was unhealthy.

I tried very hard not to be aware of him for the rest of the hour, and, since that was impossible, at least not to let him know that I was aware of him. When the bell rang at last, I turned my back to him to gather my things, expecting him to leave immediately as usual.

"Will?" His voice shouldn't have been so familiar to me, as if I'd known the sound of it all my life rather than for just a few short weeks.

I turned slowly, unwillingly. I didn't want to feel what I knew I would feel when I looked at his too-perfect face. My expression was wary when I finally turned to him; his expression was unreadable. He didn't say anything.

 

"What? Are you speaking to me again?" I finally asked, an unintentional note of petulance in my voice.

His lips twitched, fighting a smile. "No, not really," he admitted.

I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose, aware that I was gritting my teeth. He waited.

"Then what do you want, Nico?" I asked, keeping my eyes closed; it was easier to talk to him coherently that way.

"I'm sorry." He sounded sincere. "I'm being very rude, I know. But it's better this way, really."

I opened my eyes. His face was very serious.

"I don't know what you mean," I said, my voice guarded.

"It's better if we're not friends," he explained. "Trust me."

My eyes narrowed. _I'd heard that before._

"It's too bad you didn't figure that out earlier," I hissed through my teeth. "You could have saved yourself all this regret."

**"Regret?”** The word, and my tone, obviously caught him off guard. "Regret for what?"

"For not just letting that stupid van squish me."

He was astonished. He stared at me in disbelief.

When he finally spoke, he almost sounded mad. "You think I regret saving your life?"

"I know you do," I snapped.

"You don't know anything." He was definitely mad.

I turned my head sharply away from him, clenching my jaw against all the wild accusations I wanted to hurl at him. I gathered my books together, then stood and walked to the door. I meant to sweep dramatically out of the room, but of course I caught the toe of my boot on the door jamb and dropped my books, because I was still distracted by his face. I stood there for a moment, thinking about leaving them. Then I sighed and bent to pick them up. 

He was there; he'd already stacked them into a pile. He handed them to me, his face hard.

"Thank you," I said icily.

His eyes narrowed.  
"You're welcome," he retorted.

I straightened up swiftly, turned away from him again, and stalked off to Gym without  
looking back.

Gym was better. We'd moved on to basketball. My team always passed me the ball, so that wasn’t good, but I helped my team win. 

But I tripped several times while plain walking more than usual because my head was so filled with Nico. I tried to concentrate on my feet, but he kept creeping back into my thoughts just when I really needed my balance.

It was a relief, as always, to leave. I almost ran to the truck; there were just so many people I wanted to avoid.

The truck had suffered only minimal damage in the accident. I'd had to replace the taillights, and if I'd had a real paint job, I would have touched that up.

Drew 's parents had to sell their van for parts.

I almost had a stroke when I rounded the corner and saw a small figure draped in a black hoodie, leaning against the side of my truck. 

Then I realized it was just Lacy. I started walking again.

"Hey, Lacy," I called.

"Hi, Will."

"What's up?" I said as I was unlocking the door. I wasn't paying attention to the uncomfortable edge in her voice, so her next words took me by surprise.

"Uh, I was just wondering… if you would go to the spring dance with me? " Her voice  
broke on the last word.

"I thought it was boys' choice," I said, too startled to be diplomatic.

"Well, yeah," she admitted, shamefaced.

I recovered my composure and tried to make my smile warm.

"Thank you for asking me, but I'm going to be in Seattle that day."

"Oh," she said. "Well, maybe next time."

"Sure," I agreed, and then bit my lip. I wouldn't want het to take that too literally.

She slouched off, back toward the school. I heard a low chuckle.

Nico with his sister Hazel were walking past the front of my truck, looking straight forward, his lips pressed together. While Hazel was laughing wholeheartedly. I yanked the door open and when I was jumping inside, Hazel looked back at me and gave me a wink. 

I didn’t know what that was about so I got in, slammed the door loudly behind me. I revved the engine deafeningly and reversed out into the aisle. 

Nico was already in his Black Mercedes, two spaces down, sliding out smoothly in front of me, cutting me off.

He stopped there — to wait for his family; I could see the four of out of six of them walking this way, but still by  
the cafeteria. I considered taking out the rear of his shiny Mercedes, but there were too many witnesses. I looked in my rearview mirror.

A line was beginning to form. Directly behind me, Drew Tanaka was in her recently acquired used Sentra, waving.  
I was too aggravated to acknowledge her.

While I was sitting there, looking everywhere but at the car in front of me, I heard a knock on my passenger side window. I looked over; it was Drew. I glanced back in my rearview mirror, confused.

Her car was still running, the door left open. I leaned across the cab to crank the window down. It was stiff. I got it halfway down, then gave up.

"I'm sorry, Drew, I'm stuck behind Cullen."  
I was annoyed — obviously the hold-up wasn't my fault.

"Oh, I know — I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." She grinned, flicking her hair.

This could not be happening.

"Will you ask me to the spring dance?" She continued.

"I'm not going to be in town, Drew." My voice sounded a little sharp.  
I had to remember it wasn't her fault that Paolo and Lacy had already used up my quota of patience for the  
day.

"Yeah, Paolo said that," She admitted.

"Then why —"

She shrugged. "I was hoping you were just letting him down easy."

Okay, it was completely her fault.

"Sorry, Drew," I said, working to hide my irritation. "I really am going out of town."

"That's cool. We still have prom."  
And before I could respond, she was walking back to her car.

I could feel the shock on my face. I looked forward to see Hazel, Frank, Piper and Jason all sliding into the Mercedes. In his rearview mirror, Nico's eyes were on me.

He was unquestionably shaking with laughter, as if he'd heard every word Drew had said. My foot itched toward the gas  
pedal… one little bump wouldn't hurt any of them, just that glossy black paint job. I revved the engine.

But they were all in, and Nico was speeding away. I drove home slowly, carefully, muttering to myself the whole way.

When I got home, I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. It was a long process, and it would keep me busy. While I was simmering the onions and chilies, the phone rang. I was almost afraid to answer it, but it might be Lester or my mom.

 

It was Cecil, and he was jubilant; Paolo had caught him after school to accept his invitation. I celebrated with him briefly while I stirred. He had to go, he wanted to call Austin and Jake to tell them. 

I suggested — with casual innocence — that maybe Austin, the cute, over energetic boy, who had Government with me, could ask Lacy. 

And Jake, a show off-ish boy who had always ignored me at the lunch table, could ask Drew; I'd heard she was still available.

Cecil thought that was a great idea. Now that he was sure of Paolo, he actually sounded sincere when he said he wished I would go to the dance. I gave him my Seattle excuse.

After I hung up I tried concentrating on the enchiladas, but my head was buzzing from the words Nico had spoken. I paused to analyze every word Nico had spoken today. What did he mean, it was better if we  
weren't friends?

My stomach twisted as I realized what he must have meant. He must see how absorbed I was by him; he must not want to lead me on… so we couldn't even be friends… because he wasn't interested in me at all.

Of course he wasn't interested in me, I thought angrily, my eyes hardening — a delayed reaction to the number of times people passed me the ball in gym. 

I wasn't interesting. And he was. Interesting… and brilliant… and mysterious… and perfect… and beautiful… and possibly able to lift full-sized vans with one hand.

 

Well, that was fine. I could leave him alone. I would leave him alone. I would get through my self-imposed sentence here in purgatory, and then hopefully some school in the Southwest, or possibly Hawaii, would offer me a scholarship.

I focused my thoughts on sunny beaches and palm trees as I finished the enchiladas and put them in the oven.

Lester seemed suspicious when he came home and smelled the green peppers. I couldn't blame him — the closest edible Mexican food was probably in southern  
California. But he was a cop, even if just a small-town cop, so he was brave enough to take the first bite. He seemed to like it. It was fun to watch as he slowly began trusting me in the kitchen.

"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.

"Yeah, Will?"

"Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday… if that's okay?" I didn't want to ask permission — it set a bad precedent — but I felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end.

"Why?" He sounded surprised, as if he were unable to imagine something that Forks couldn't offer.

"Well, I wanted to get few books — the library here is pretty limited — and maybe look at some clothes." I had more money than I was used to having, since, thanks to Lester, I hadn't had to pay for a car.

Not that the truck didn't cost me quite a bit in the gas department.

"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," he said, echoing my thoughts.

"I know, I'll stop in Montesano and Olympia — and Tacoma if I have to."

"Are you going all by yourself?" he asked, and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious I had a secret girlfriend or boyfriend or just worried about car trouble.

"Yes."

"Seattle is a big city — you could get lost," he fretted.

"Dad, Phoenix is five times the size of Seattle — and I can read a map, don't worry about it."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I tried to be crafty as I hid my horror.

"That's all right, Dad, I'm very choosy when it comes to clothes like mom, so I'll be in dressing rooms all day long."

"Oh, okay." The thought of sitting still in any clothing store for any period of time immediately put him off.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Will you be back in time for the dance?"

_Grrr. Only in a town this small would a father know when the high school dances were._

"No — I don't dance, Dad." He, of all people, should understand that — I got my clumsiness from the person he married, obviously. 

He did understand. "Oh, that's right," he realized.

The next morning, when I pulled into the parking lot, I deliberately parked as far as possible from the glossy black Mercedes. I didn't want to put myself in the path of too much temptation and end up owing him a new car. 

Getting out of the cab, I fumbled with my key and it fell into a puddle at my feet. As I bent to get it, a white hand flashed out and grabbed it before I could. I jerked upright. Nico Cullen was right next to me, leaning casually against my truck.

"How do you do that?" I asked in amazed irritation.

"Do what?" He held my key out as he spoke. As I reached for it, he dropped it into my palm.

"Appear out of thin air."

"Will, it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant." His voice was quiet as usual — velvet, muted.

I scowled at his perfect face. His eyes were light again today, a deep, golden honey color. Then I had to look down, to reassemble my now-tangled thoughts.

"Why the traffic jam yesterday?" I demanded, still looking away. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death."

"That was for Drew's sake, not mine. I had to give her, her chance." He snickered.

"You…" I gasped. I couldn't think of a bad enough word. It felt like the heat of my anger should physically burn him, but he only seemed more amused.

"And I'm not pretending you don't exist," he continued.

"So you are trying to irritate me to death? Since Drew's van didn't do the job?"

Anger flashed in his tawny eyes. His lips pressed into a hard line, all signs of humor gone.

"Will, you are utterly absurd," he said, his low voice cold.

My palms tingled — I wanted so badly to hit something. I was surprised at myself. I was usually a nonviolent person. I turned my back and started to walk away.

"Wait," he called. I kept walking, sloshing angrily through the rain. But he was next to me, easily keeping pace.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," he said as we walked. I ignored him.

"I'm not saying it isn't true," he continued, "but it was rude to say it, anyway."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I grumbled.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," he chuckled. He seemed to have recovered his good humor.

"Do you have a multiple personality disorder?" I asked severely. “Because you show the symptoms”

"You're doing it again."

I sighed. "Fine then. What do you want to ask?"

"I was wondering if, a week from Saturday — you know, the day of the spring dance —"

"Are you trying to be funny?" I interrupted him, wheeling toward him.   
My face got drenched as I looked down at his expression. Only then I could see that I was a few feet taller than him.  
 _Good_

 

His eyes were wickedly amused. "will you please allow me to finish?"

I bit my lip and clasped my hands together, interlocking my fingers, so I couldn't do anything rash.

"I heard you say you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride?” 

 

That was unexpected.

 

"What?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Do you want a ride to Seattle ?"

"With who?" I asked, mystified.

"Myself, obviously." He enunciated every syllable, as if he were talking to someone  
mentally handicapped.

I was still stunned. "Why?"

"Well, I was planning to go to Seattle in the next few weeks, and, to be honest, I'm not sure if your truck can make it."

"My truck works just fine, thank you very much for your concern." I started to walk again, but I was too surprised to maintain the same level of anger.

"But can your truck make it there on one tank of gas?" He matched my pace again.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Stupid, shiny Mercedes owner.

"The wasting of finite resources is everyone's business."

"Honestly, Nico." I felt a thrill go through me as I said his name, and I hated it. 

"I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend."

"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."

"Oh, thanks, now that's all cleared up." Heavy sarcasm.

I realized I had stopped walking again. We were under the shelter of the cafeteria roof now, so I could more easily look at is face.

Which certainly didn't help my clarity of thought.

"It would be more…prudent for you not to be my friend," he explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Will"

His eyes were gloriously intense as he uttered that last sentence, his voice smoldering.

I couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Will you go with me to Seattle ?" he asked, still intense.

I couldn't speak yet, so I just nodded.

He smiled briefly, and then his face became serious.

"You really should stay away from me," he warned. "I'll see you in class."

He turned abruptly and walked back the way we'd come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos, constructive criticism and plain commenting would be appreciated!!! (•ө•)♡


	5. 5. Nurse (Blood type)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will couldn't be more thankful for being unfocused before this moment... He really likes nurses - can that be called kinky...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah!!! Hey there demigods! Demi is back with another chappie and this may be the last one for some time cause....
> 
> Bam, Bam, Bam~ Heel week, a.k.a Exam week is starting and boy I haven't even touched my textbooks...  
> Hahaha.....
> 
> Anyways please enjoy!!!

**_ 5\. Nurse (Blood Type) _ **

I made my way to English in a daze. I didn't even realize when I first walked in that class had already started.

"Thank you for joining us, Mister Solace," Mr. Mason said in a disparaging tone.

I nodded dumbly and hurried to my seat.

It wasn't till class ended that I realized Paolo wasn't sitting in his usual seat next to me. I felt a twinge of guilt. But he and Lacy both met me at the door as usual, so I figured I wasn't totally unforgiven. 

Paolo seemed to become more himself as we walked, gaining enthusiasm as he talked about the weather report for this weekend. The rain was supposed  
to take a minor break, and so maybe his beach trip would be possible.

I tried to sound eager, to make up for disappointing him yesterday. It was hard; rain or no rain, it would still only be in the high forties, if we were lucky.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. It was difficult to believe that I hadn't just imagined what Nico had said, and the way his eyes had looked. 

Maybe it was just a very convincing dream that I'd confused with reality. That seemed more probable than  
that I really appealed to him on any level.

So I was impatient and frightened as Cecil and I entered the cafeteria. I wanted to see his face, to see if he'd gone back to the cold, indifferent person I'd known for the last several weeks. Or if, by some miracle, I'd really heard what I thought I'd heard this morning. 

Cecil babbled on and on about his dance plans — Jake and Austin had asked the other girls and they were all going together — completely unaware of my inattention.

Disappointment flooded through me as my eyes unerringly focused on his table.

The other six were there, but he was absent. Had he gone home? I followed the still babbling Cecil through the line, crushed. 

I'd lost my appetite — I bought nothing but a bottle of lemonade. I just wanted to go sit down and sulk.

"Nico Cullen is staring at you again," Cecil said, finally breaking through my abstraction with his name. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."

My head snapped up. I followed his gaze to see Nico, a small smirk on his lips, staring at me from an empty table across the cafeteria from where he usually sat. 

Once he'd caught my eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him. As I stared in disbelief, he winked.

"Whoa! Does he mean you ?" Cecil asked with insulting astonishment in his voice.

"Maybe he needs help with his Biology homework," I muttered for his benefit. "Um, I'd better go see what he wants."

I could feel him staring after me as I walked away.

 

When I reached his table, I stood behind the chair across from him, unsure.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" he asked, smiling.

I sat down automatically, watching him with caution. He was still smiling. It was hard to believe that someone so beautiful could be real, and also the fact that he was probably an emo was smiling. 

I was afraid that he might disappear in a sudden puff of smoke, and I would wake up.

He seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

"This is different," I finally managed.

"Well…" He paused, and then the rest of the words followed in a rush. "I decided as long as I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly.” 

I waited for him to say something that made sense. The seconds ticked by.

"You know I don't have any idea what you mean," I eventually pointed out.

"I know." He smiled again, and then he changed the subject. "I think your friends are angry with me for stealing you."

"They'll survive." I could feel their stares boring into my back.

"I may not give you back, though," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes.

I gulped.

He laughed. "You look worried."

"No," I said, but, ridiculously, my voice broke. "Surprised, actually… what brought all this on?"

"I told you — I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He was still smiling, but his ocher eyes were serious.

"Giving up?" I repeated in confusion.

"Yes — giving up trying to be good. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may." His smile faded as he explained, and a hard edge crept into his voice.

"You lost me again."

The breathtaking smirk reappeared.

"I always say too much when I'm talking to you — that's one of the problems."

"Don't worry — I don't understand any of it," I said wryly.

"I'm counting on that."

"So, in plain English, are we friends now?"

"Friends…" he mused, dubious.

"Or not," I muttered.

He grinned. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you." Behind his smile, the warning was real.

"You say that a lot," I noted, trying to ignore the sudden trembling in my stomach and keep my voice even.

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. I'm still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me."

"I think you've made your opinion on the subject of my intellect clear, too." My eyes narrowed.

He smiled apologetically.

"So, as long as I'm being… not smart, we'll try to be friends?" I struggled to sum up the confusing exchange.

"That sounds about right."

 

“I noticed you’re smiling” I say timidly to him. Confusion spread on his face before he starts laughing. 

“I am. You seem to have that kind of effect on me.” He said smiling, I flushed and looked down at my hands wrapped around the lemonade bottle, not sure what to do now.

"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously.

I looked up into his deep gold eyes, became befuddled, and, as usual, blurted out the truth.

"I'm trying to figure out what you are."

His jaw tightened, but he kept his smile in place with some effort.

"Are you having any luck with that?" he asked in an offhand tone.

"Not too much," I admitted.

He chuckled. "What are your theories?”

I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. I had been vacillating during the last month between Bruce Wayne and Greek Myths. There was no way I was going to own up to that.

"Won't you tell me?" he asked, tilting his head to one side with a shockingly tempting smile.

I shook my head. "Too embarrassing."

"That's really frustrating, you know," he complained.

"No," I disagreed quickly, my eyes narrowing, "I can't imagine why that would be frustrating at all — just because someone refuses to tell you what they're thinking, even if all the while they're making cryptic little remarks specifically designed to keep you up at night wondering what they could possibly mean… now, why would that be frustrating?"

He grimaced.

"Or better," I continued, the pent-up annoyance flowing freely now, "say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things — from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day to treating you like a pariah the next, and he never explained any of that, either, even after he promised. That, also, would be very non—frustrating."

"You've got a bit of a temper, don't you?"

"I don't like double standards."

We stared at each other, unsmiling.

He glanced over my shoulder, and then, unexpectedly, he snickered.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you — he's debating whether or not to come break up our fight." He snickered again.

"I don't know who you're talking about," I said frostily. "But I'm sure you're wrong, anyway."

“I know you don’t think about him that way but he surely does”

“I’m telling you this again. You could be wrong” I say a little thrown off guard at his confidence at me not finding anyone interesting.

"I'm not. I told you, most people are easy to read."

"Except me, of course."

"Yes. Except for you." His mood shifted suddenly; his eyes turned brooding. "I wonder why that is."

 

I had to look away from the intensity of his stare. I concentrated on unscrewing the lid of my lemonade. I took a swig, staring at the table without seeing it.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked, distracted.

"No." I didn't feel like mentioning that my stomach was already full — of butterflies.

"You?" I looked at the empty table in front of him.

"No, I'm not hungry. I had a big breakfast." I didn't understand his expression — it looked like he was  
enjoying some private joke.

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked after a second of hesitation.

He was suddenly wary. "That depends on what you want."

"It's not much," I assured him.

He waited, guarded but curious.

"I just wondered… if you could warn me beforehand the next time you decide to ignore me for my own good. Just so I'm prepared." I looked at the lemonade bottle as I spoke, tracing the circle of the opening with my pinkie finger.

"That sounds fair." He was pressing his lips together to keep from laughing when I looked up.

"Thanks."

"Then can I have one answer in return?" he demanded.

"One."

"Tell me one theory."

_Whoops._ "Not that one."

"You didn't qualify, you just promised one answer," he reminded me.

"And you've broken promises yourself," I reminded him back.  
"Just one theory — I won't laugh."

"Yes, you will." I was positive about that.

He looked down, and then glanced up at me through his long black lashes, his ocher eyes scorching.

"Please?" he breathed, leaning toward me.

I leaned towards him automatically, as if there was an invisible string attached to me and he pulled it. I blinked, my mind going blank.

**_Holy Hephaestus, how did he do that?_**

"Er, what?" I asked, dazed.

"Please tell me just one little theory." His eyes still smoldered at me.

"Um, well, bitten by a radioactive spider?" Was he a hypnotist, too? Or was I just a hopeless pushover?

"That's not very creative," he scoffed.

"I'm sorry, that's all I've got," I said, miffed.

"You're not even close," he teased.

"No spiders?"

"Nope."

"And no radioactivity?"

"None."

"Dang," I sighed.

"Kryptonite doesn't bother me, either," he chuckled.

"Well that leaves us the second theory.” I thought. 

“And what’s that” He asked raising a brow. Seemingly unimpressed by my not creative theories.

“The Greek sayings” I said smiling. 

“Really?” He asked leaning a bit forward, clearly intrigued. 

“You’re like Hades” I said finally letting it out in a exhale. 

“Why Hades? Why not Zeus?” 

“I think while Zeus could easily kill anyone Hades could even control their death and that is more powerful if you see the it the way I do” I say. Plus he was dark and interesting as you, I thought but didn’t add. 

“Hades…” He said thinking, “I like it” he said finally.

“But you’re still wrong” He chuckled 

“You’re not suppose to laugh you know” 

He struggled to compose his face.

"I'll figure it out eventually," I warned him.

"I wish you wouldn't try." He was serious again.

"Because… ?"

"What if I'm not a God? What if I'm the bad guy?" He smiled playfully, but his eyes were impenetrable.

"Oh," I said, as several things he'd hinted fell suddenly into place. "I see."

"Do you?" His face was abruptly severe, as if he were afraid that he'd accidentally said too much.

"You're dangerous?" I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He was dangerous. He'd been trying to tell me that all along.

He just looked at me, eyes full of some emotion I couldn't comprehend — Sadness?

"But not bad," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, I don't believe that you're bad."

"You're wrong." His voice was almost inaudible. He looked down, stealing my bottle lid and then spinning it on its side between his fingers.

I stared at him, wondering why I didn't feel afraid. He meant what he was saying — that was obvious.

But I just felt anxious, on edge… and, more than anything else,fascinated.

The same way I always felt twhen I was near him.

The silence lasted until I noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty.

I jumped to my feet. "We're going to be late."

"I'm not going to class today," he said, twirling the lid so fast it was just a blur.

"Why not?"

"It's healthy to ditch class now and then." He smiled up at me, but his eyes were still  
troubled.

"Well, I'm going," I told him.

I was far too big a coward to risk getting caught.

He turned his attention back to his makeshift top. "I'll see you later, then."

I hesitated, torn, but then the first bell sent me hurrying out the door — with a last glance confirming that he hadn't moved a centimeter.

 

As I half-ran to class, my head was spinning faster than the bottle cap. So few questions had been answered in comparison to how many new questions had been raised. 

At least the rain had stopped.

I was lucky; Mr. Chiron wasn't in the room yet when I arrived. I settled quickly into my seat, aware that both Paolo and Malcolm were staring at me. Paolo looked resentful; Malcolm looked surprised, and slightly impressed.

Mr. Chiron came in the room then, calling the class to order. He was juggling a few small cardboard boxes in his arms. He put them down on my table, telling me to start passing them around the class.

"Okay, guys, I want you all to take one piece from each box," he said as he produced a pair of rubber gloves from the pocket of his lab jacket and pulled them on.

"The first should be an indicator card," he went on, grabbing a white card with four squares marked on it and displaying it. 

"The second is a four-pronged applicator —" he held up something that looked like a nearly toothless hair pick

"— and the third is a sterile micro lancet." He held up a small piece of blue plastic and split it open. The barb was clean and looked sharp.

"I'll be coming around with a dropper of water to prepare your cards, so please don't start until I get to you." He began at my table again, carefully putting one drop of  
water in each of the four squares. 

"Then I want you to carefully prick your finger with the  
lancet…" He grabbed my hand and jabbed the spike into the tip of my middle finger.

"Put a small drop of blood on each of the prongs." He demonstrated to the class, squeezing my finger till the blood flowed.   
I had no problem with blood, it was a bonus because if I had I wouldn’t want to be a doctor.

 

"And then apply it to the card," he finished, holding up the dripping red card for the rest of the class to see. 

Because of Mr. Chiron doing everything for me. My lab was already done as he continued speaking.

"The Red Cross is having a blood drive in Port Angeles next weekend, so I thought you should all know your blood type." He sounded proud of himself. "Those of you who aren't eighteen yet will need a parent's permission — I have slips at my desk."

He continued through the room with his water drops. I put my cheek against the cool  
black tabletop in boredom. I wished to had done the lab myself if this was the case. 

All around me I could hear  
squeals, complaints, and giggles as my classmates skewered their fingers. My thoughts returning to the bizarre conversation with Nico at lunch.

"Paolo, are you all right?" Mr. Chiron asked. His voice was inaudible because of the chattering of other students, but it sounded alarmed.

"I already know my blood type, Mr. Chiron," Paolo said in a weak voice. I turned around to see him. He looked awful.

"Are you feeling faint?"

"Yes, sir," He muttered, his face green and eyes closed. I felt pity surge through me as I looked at him.

"Will would you take Paolo to the nurse, please, Others are still doing their lab?" he called.

I nodded and went up to Paolo’s seat.

"Can you walk?" Mr. Chiron asked him.

"Yes," He whispered. Just high enough for Mr. Chiron to hear. 

Paolo seemed eager as he put his arm over my shoulder. He leaned against me heavily on the way out of the classroom.

I towed him slowly across campus. When we were around the edge of the cafeteria, Paolo’s foot caught up at an elevated rock causing both of us to fall on the wet ground in a heap. 

I heard a slight crack as pain shoot up through my ankle. I tried to move it and yelped when the pain intensified. I had twisted my ankle horribly. I summed up.

Paolo whimpered and slumped over on his side, putting his cheek against the cold, damp cement and closing his eyes.

"And whatever you do, keep your hand in your pocket," He warned after a moment.

That seemed to help him a little.

"Don’t move Paolo, It will pass, you are already looking a bit better" I said trying to calm him. He nodded weakly in return.   
"Will?" a different voice called from the distance.

_No! Please let me be imagining that horribly familiar voice._

"What's wrong?" His voice was closer now, and he sounded upset. I wasn't imagining it. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to die. Or, at the very least, not to yell at the pain in my ankle.

I opened my eyes and tried to smile at him. "I think he's fainted. I don't know what happened, he didn't even stick his finger. And while he fainted we both fell and I twisted my ankle.”

"Will." Nico's voice was right in front of me, relieved now. "Does it hurt too much?"

"No," I said, smiling. “What do you think?." I asked sweetly while I wanted to punch him for asking such a stupid question.

He chuckled.  
"I was taking him to the nurse," I explained in an off hand tone, "but he wouldn't go any farther. And now I can’t even go farther" I whined.

"I'll take you and him," Nico said. I could see and hear the smile still in his voice. "You can’t go back to class with a twisted ankle”

"No," I protested. "I can”

I tried to stand up but fell on my butt again as intense pain surged from my ankle. 

Suddenly the sidewalk disappeared from beneath me. Nico had put an arm around me and Paolo and was supporting both of us as he strides towards the office.

“I don’t need your help” I shouted at him. He chuckled again. 

Nico ignored me. "You look awful," he told me instead, grinning.

"Put me back on the sidewalk," I moaned. The slightest strain on my ankle was not helping. He held me away from his body, gingerly, supporting all my weight with just his arms — it didn't seem to bother him.

"So he faints at the sight of blood?" he asked. This seemed to entertain him.

I nodded and also smiled a bit. The thought was really entertaining. Paolo who was always tough faints at the sight of blood.

"And not even his own blood," he continued, enjoying himself.

I don't know how he opened the door with both me, and Paolo but it was suddenly warm, so I knew we were inside.

"Oh my," I heard a female voice gasp. My eyes were a bit blurry because of the rain.

"He fainted in Biology," Nico explained for Paolo. “And he twisted his ankle on the way here” Nico said for me.

I rubbed my eyes. I was in the office, and Nico was striding past the front counter toward the nurse's door. 

Ms. Cope, the redheaded front office receptionist, ran ahead of him to hold it open.

The grandmotherly nurse looked up from a novel, astonished, as Nico swung me and Paolo into the room and dumped Paolo on the cot. 

And placed me gently on the crackly armchair the Nurse was sitting a while earlier.

Then he moved to stand against the wall as far  
across the narrow room as possible.   
His eyes were bright, excited.

 

"He's just a little faint," I reassured the startled nurse. "They're blood typing in  
Biology."

The nurse nodded sagely.  
"There's always one."

Nico muffled a snicker.

“And he twisted his ankle very badly” Nico said to the Nurse which made her look at me with concerned eyes.

“I think you need ice for your ankle honey” She said I nodded and then she started talking with Paolo.

"Just lie down for a minute, honey; it'll pass."

"I know," He sighed. The green color of his face was already fading.

"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.

"Sometimes," He admitted. 

Nico and I coughed to hide another laugh.

"You can go back to class now," she told Nico.

"I'm supposed to stay with them." He said this with such assured authority that — even though she pursed her lips — the nurse didn't argue it further.

"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear and some for your ankle," she said to me, and then bustled out  
of the room.

"You were right," I groaned, letting my eyes close.

"I usually am — but about what in particular this time?"

"Ditching is healthy." I said referring to my now twisted ankle.

"You scared me for a minute there," Nico admitted after a pause. His tone made it sound like he was confessing a humiliating weakness. 

"I thought Newton was dragging your dead body off to bury it in the woods."

"Ha-ha." I opened my eyes to see him bearing his smirk and Paolo feeling a bit better.

"Honestly — I've seen corpses with better expression on their face. I was concerned that I might have to avenge your murder."

"Poor Paolo. I'll bet he's mad, You didn’t let me take him to the nurse myself” I whispered to him, worrying Paolo might hear.

"He absolutely loathes me,” Nico whispered cheerfully.

"You can't know that," I argued, but then I wondered suddenly if he could.

"I saw his face when I dropped him on the bed — I could tell."

"How did you see me? I thought you were ditching." I was almost fine now, the pain in the ankle already subsidized.

"I was in my car, listening to a CD." Such a normal response — it surprised me.

I heard the door and opened my eyes to see the nurse with two cold compresses in her hand.

"Here you go, dear." She laid it across Paolo's forehead.

“And this one is for you” She said to me. I put it on my ankle.  
"You're looking better, Has the pain gone" she added.

"I think I'm fine," I said, moving my ankle. Just a little pain. I stood up. I could see she was about to make me sit back down, but the door opened just then, and  
Ms. Cope stuck her head in.

"We've got another one," she warned.

I hopped down to free up the chair for the next invalid. As Paolo was still not sitting up.

I handed the compress back to the nurse. "Here, I don't need this."

And then someone staggered through the door, I recognized a sallow-looking Lee Stephens, another boy in our Biology class supported by another of my classmate that I couldn't remember the name off. Nico and I drew back against the wall to give them room.

“Let us get out of here” Nico suggested. I nodded.

I spun and caught the door before it closed, darting out of the infirmary. I could feel Nico right behind me.

"You actually listened to me, Without another thought" He was stunned.

I shrugged. “I could see there were too many people inside” I continued. " Plus I smelled the blood," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"People can't smell blood," he contradicted.

"Well, I can. It smells like rust… and salt. It doesn’t make me sick but I hate it"

He was staring at me with an unfathomable expression.

"What?" I asked.

"It's nothing."

Paolo came through the door then, glancing from me to Nico. The look he gave Nico confirmed what Nico had said about loathing. He looked back at me, his natural color returning.

"You look better," I said smiling.

"Just keep your hand in your pocket," He warned me again.

I nodded. "Are you going back to class?"

"Yeah, I guess… Lee managed to say that they are done. So are you going this weekend? To the beach?" While he spoke, he flashed another glare toward Nico, who was standing against the cluttered counter, motionless as a sculpture, staring off into space.

I tried to sound as friendly as possible. "Sure, I said I was in."

"We're meeting at my dad's store, at ten." His eyes flickered to Nico again, wondering if he was giving out too much information. His body language made it clear that it wasn't an open invitation.

"I'll be there," I promised.

"I'll see you in Gym, then," he said, moving uncertainly toward the door.

"See you," I replied. He looked at me once more, his round face slightly pouting, and then as he walked slowly through the door, his shoulders slumped. A swell of sympathy washed over me. I pondered seeing his disappointed face again… in _Gym._

"Gym," I groaned. I looked at my injured ankle, wondering if I could make it or not.

"I can take care of that." I hadn't noticed Nico moving to my side, but he spoke now  
in my ear.   
"Go sit down, clutch your ankle and grimace in pain," he muttered.

That wasn't a challenge; I was always good at grimaces, and my recent swoon had left a light sheen of sweat on my face. 

I sat in one of the creaky folding chairs and rested my head against the wall with my ankle clutched in my hand. 

I heard Nico speaking softly at the counter.  
"Ms. Cope?"

"Yes?" I hadn't heard her return to her desk.

"Will has Gym next hour, and I don't think his ankle is well enough for that. Actually, I was thinking I should take him home now. Do you think you could excuse him from class?”

His voice was like melting honey. I could imagine how much more overwhelming his eyes would be.

"Do you need to be excused, too, Nico?" Ms. Cope fluttered. Why couldn't I do that?

"No, I have Mrs. Goff, she won't mind."

"Okay, it's all taken care of. You feel better, Will," she called to me. I nodded a grimace still on my face, hamming it up just a bit.

"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you this time?"

With his back to the receptionist, his expression became sarcastic.

"I'll walk."

I stood carefully, and I was still fine. He held the door for me, his smile polite but his eyes mocking. I limped out into the cold, fine mist that had just begun to fall. It felt nice — the first time I'd enjoyed the constant moisture falling out of the sky — as it washed my face clean of the sticky perspiration.

"Thanks," I said as he followed me out. "It's almost worth getting hurt to miss Gym."

"Anytime." He was staring straight forward, squinting into the rain.

"So are you going? This Saturday, I mean?" I was hoping he would, though it seemed unlikely.

I couldn't picture him loading up to carpool with the rest of the kids from school; he didn't belong in the same world. But just hoping that he might gave me the first twinge of enthusiasm I'd felt for the outing.

"Where are you all going, exactly?" He was still looking ahead, expressionless.

"Down to La Push, to First Beach." I studied his face, trying to read it. His eyes seemed to narrow infinitesimally.

He glanced down at me from the corner of his eye, smiling wryly. "I really don't think I was invited."

I sighed. "I just invited you."

"Let's you and I not push poor Paolo any further this week. We don't want him to snap."

His eyes danced; he was enjoying the idea more than he should.

"Paolo — waaolo." I muttered, preoccupied by the way he'd said "you and I." I liked it more than I should.

We were near the parking lot now. I veered left, toward my truck. Something caught my jacket, yanking me back.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, outraged. He was gripping a fistful of my jacket in one hand.

I was confused. "I'm going home."

"Didn't you hear me promise to take you safely home? Do you think I'm going to let you drive in your condition?" His voice was still indignant.

"What condition? And what about my truck?" I complained.

"I'll have Annabeth drop it off after school." He was towing me toward his car now, pulling me by my jacket. It was all I could do to keep from falling backward. He'd probably just drag me along anyway if I did.

"Let go!" I insisted. He ignored me. I staggered along sideways across the wet sidewalk until we reached the Mercedes. Then he finally freed me — I stumbled against the passenger door.

"You are so pushy !" I grumbled.

"It's open," was all he responded. He got in the driver's side.

"I am perfectly capable of driving myself home!" I stood by the car, fuming. 

It was raining harder now, and I'd never put my hood up, so my hair was dripping down my back.

He lowered the automatic window and leaned toward me across the seat. "Get in, Will."

I didn't answer. I was mentally calculating my chances of reaching the truck before he could catch me. I had to admit, they weren't good, with my ankle.

"I'll just drag you back," he threatened, guessing my plan.

I tried to maintain what dignity I could as I got into his car. I wasn't very successful — I looked like a half-drowned cat and my boots squeaked.

"This is completely unnecessary," I said stiffly.

He didn't answer. He fiddled with the controls, turning the heater up and the music down. 

As he pulled out of the parking lot, I was preparing to give him the silent treatment — my face in full pout mode — but then I recognized the music playing, and my curiosity got the better of my intentions.

"Clair deLune?" I asked, surprised.

"You know Debussy?" He sounded surprised, too.

"Not well," I admitted. "My mother plays a lot of classical music around the house — I only know my favorites."

"It's one of my favorites, too." He stared out through the rain, lost in thought.

I listened to the music, relaxing against the light black leather seat. It was impossible not to respond to the familiar, soothing melody. 

The rain blurred everything outside the window into gray and green smudges. I began to realize we were driving very fast; the car moved so steadily, so evenly, though, I didn't feel the speed. 

Only the town flashing by gave it away.

"What is your mother like?" he asked me suddenly.

I glanced over to see him studying me with curious eyes.

"She looks nothing like me, but she's prettier," I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "I have too much Lester in me. She's more introvert than I am, but level headed though sometimes a bit lunatic. She's responsible but not very much when the time calls and slightly eccentric, her bookish knowledge mostly works when situations happen and she's a good cook though most of the time she insisted I cook it. She's my best friend." I stopped.

Talking about her was making me depressed.

"How old are you, Will?" His voice sounded frustrated for some reason I couldn't imagine.

He'd stopped the car, and I realized we were at Lester's house already. The rain was so heavy that I could barely see the house at all. It was like the car was submerged under a river.

"I'm seventeen," I responded, a little confused.

"You don't seem seventeen."  
His tone was reproachful; it made me laugh.

"What?" he asked, curious again.

"My mom always says I was born thirty-five years old and that I get more middle-aged every year." I laughed, and then sighed. "Well, someone has to be the adult."

I paused for a second.  
"You don't seem much like a junior in high school yourself," I noted.

He made a face and changed the subject.  
"So why did your mother marry Michael?"

I was surprised he would remember the name; I'd mentioned it just once, almost two months ago.

It took me a moment to answer.

"My mother… she's very young for her age. I think Michael makes her feel even younger. At any rate she is crazy for him” I said apparently the attraction was a mystery to me.

“Do you approve?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" I countered. "I want her to be happy… and he is who she wants."

"That's very generous… I wonder," he mused.

"What?"

"Would she extend the same courtesy to you, do you think? No matter who your choice was?" He was suddenly intent, his eyes searching mine.

"I-I think so," I stuttered. "But she's the parent, after all. It's a little bit different."

"No one too scary then," he teased.

I grinned in response. "What do you mean by scary? Multiple facial piercings and  
extensive tattoos?"

"That's one definition, I suppose."

"What's your definition?"  
But he ignored my question and asked me another. 

"Do you think that I could be  
scary?" He raised one eyebrow, and the faint trace of a smile lightened his face.

I thought for a moment, wondering whether the truth or a lie would go over better. I decided to go with the truth.  
"Hmmm… I think you could be, if you wanted to."

"Are you frightened of me now?" The smile vanished, and his heavenly face was  
suddenly serious.

"No." But I answered too quickly. The smile returned.

"So, now are you going to tell me about your family?" I asked to distract him. "It's got to be a much more interesting story than mine."

He was instantly cautious. "What do you want to know?"

"The Cullens adopted you?" I verified.

"Yes."

I hesitated for a moment. "What happened to your parents?"

"They died many years ago." His tone was matter-of-fact.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"It was not your fault. It was a very long time ago. Calypso and Leo have been my parents for a long time now."

"And you love them." It wasn't a question. It was obvious in the way he spoke of them.

"Yes." He smiled. "I couldn't imagine two better people."

"You're very lucky."

"I know I am."

"And your brothers and sisters?"

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard.  
"My brothers and sisters, and Jason and Piper for that matter, are going to be quite upset if they have to stand in the rain waiting for me."

"Oh, sorry, I guess you have to go." I didn't want to get out of the car.

"And you probably want your truck back before Chief Solace gets home, so you don't have to tell him about the Biology incident." He grinned at me.

"I'm sure he's already heard. There are no secrets in Forks." I sighed.

He laughed, and there was an edge to his laughter.  
"Have fun at the beach…good weather for sunbathing." He glanced out at the sheeting rain.

"Won't I see you tomorrow?”

"No. Frank, Percy and I are starting the weekend early."

"What are you going to do?" A friend could ask that, right? I hoped the disappointment wasn't too apparent in my voice.

"We're going to be hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, just south of Rainier."  
I remembered Lester had said the Cullens went camping frequently.

"Oh, well, have fun." I tried to sound enthusiastic. I don't think I fooled him, though. A smile was playing around the edges of his lips.

"will you do something for me this weekend?" He turned to look me straight in the face, utilizing the full power of his burning gold eyes.

I nodded helplessly.

"Don't be offended, but you seem to be one of those people who just attract accidents like a magnet. So… try not to fall into the ocean or get run over or anything, all right?"

He smiled crookedly.  
The helplessness had faded as he spoke. I glared at him.  
"I'll see what I can do," I snapped as I jumped out into the rain. 

I slammed the door  
behind me with excessive force.

He was still smiling as he drove away.


	6. Legends (Scary stories)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legends are often stories that were once realities...
> 
> We all remember the legends that our Grandma had told us, and often we make a parallel between them and our lives.
> 
> Will undoubtedly does the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year Folks!!!!!!
> 
> I know I am a month later but! Here is a much needed chapter of this confusing fic. I am not gonna post another chapter till another month maybe because my FINALS are starting!!!!!
> 
> Ahhhhhhh......
> 
> But anyways enjoy!

**_6\. Legends (Scary Stories)_ **

As I sat in my room, trying to concentrate on the third act of Macbeth, I was actually listening for my truck. I would have thought, even over the pounding rain, I could have heard the engine's roar. But when I went to peek out the curtain — again — it was suddenly there.

I wasn't looking forward to Friday, and it more than lived up to my non-expectations.

Of course there were the ankle twisting comments. 

Cecil especially seemed to get a kick out of that story. Luckily Paolo had kept his mouth shut, and no one seemed to know about Nico's involvement. Drew obviously did have a lot of questions about lunch, though.

"So what did that Nico Cullen want yesterday?" Drew asked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "He never really got to the point."

"You looked kind of mad," she fished.

"Did I?" I kept my expression blank.

"You know, I've never seen him sit with anyone but his family before. That was weird."

"Weird," I agreed. She seemed annoyed; she flipped her dark hair impatiently — I guessed she'd been hoping to hear something that would make a good story for her to pass on.

The worst part about Friday was that, even though I knew he wasn't going to be there, I  
still hoped. When I walked into the cafeteria with Cecil and Paolo, I couldn't keep from looking at his table, where Annabeth, Piper, Hazel and Jason sat talking, heads close together.

And I couldn't stop the gloom that engulfed me as I realized I didn't know how long I would have to wait before I saw him again, I shook my head after that thought though.

_I was becoming too weak minded._

At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the next day. Paolo was animated again, putting a great deal of trust in the local weatherman who promised sun tomorrow.

I'd have to see that before I believed it. But it was warmer today — almost sixty. Maybe the outing wouldn't be completely miserable.

I intercepted a few unfriendly glances from Jake during lunch, which I didn't understand until we were all walking out of the room together. 

I was right behind him, just a foot from his slick, silver blond hair, and he was evidently unaware of that.

"…don't know why Will" — he growled my name — "doesn't just sit with the Cullens from now on."

I heard him muttering to Paolo.

I'd never noticed what an unpleasant, nasal voice he had, and I was surprised by the malice in it. I really didn't know him well at all, certainly not well enough for him to dislike me — or so I'd thought. 

"He's my friend; he sits with  
us," Paolo whispered back loyally, but also a bit territorially.

I paused to let Cecil, Malcolm and Austin pass me

I didn't want to hear any more.

That night at dinner, Lester seemed enthusiastic about my trip to La Push in the morning. 

I think he felt guilty for leaving me home alone on the weekends, but he'd spent too many years building his habits to break them now. Of course he knew the names of all the kids going, and their parents, and their great-grandparents, too, probably.

He seemed to approve. I wondered if he would approve of my plan to ride to Seattle with Nico Cullen. Not that I was going to tell him.

"Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think it's south of Mount Rainier," I asked casually.

"Yeah — why?

I shrugged. "Some kids were talking about camping there."

"It's not a very good place for camping." He sounded surprised. "Too many bears. Most people go there during the hunting season."

"Oh," I murmured. "Maybe I got the name wrong."

I meant to sleep in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear  
yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn't believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. 

It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun.  
Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again.

The Newton’s Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town. I'd seen the store, but I'd never stopped there — not having much need for any supplies required for being  
outdoors over an extended period of time. 

In the parking lot I recognized Mike's Suburban and Drew's Sentra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. 

Lacy was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Travis and Conner Stoll, and surprising weren’t twins. 

They both looked so alike though, it was very easy to consider them twins so I did.

Cecil was there, flanked by Kayla, Austin and Jake. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday.

That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Jake. Jake shook out his corn silk hair done in spikes and eyed me scornfully.

So it was going to be one of those days.

At least Paolo was happy to see me.

"You came!" he called, delighted. "And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?"

"I told you I was coming," I reminded him.

"We're just waiting for Lee and Samantha… unless you invited someone," Paolo added.

"Nope," I lied lightly, hoping I wouldn't get caught in the lie. 

But also wishing that a  
miracle would occur, and Nico would appear.

Paolo looked satisfied.  
"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan."

"Sure."

He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Paolo happy.  
"You can have shotgun," he promised.

I hid my chagrin. It wasn't as simple to make Paolo and Cecil happy at the same time. I could see Cecil glowering at us now.

The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Cecil in between Paolo and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Paolo could have been more graceful about it, but at least Cecil seemed appeased.

It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quileute River snaking beneath it twice. 

I was glad I had the window seat. We'd rolled the windows down — the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it — and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as  
possible.

I'd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Lester, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me.  
It was still breathtaking.

The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs.

The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large,  
smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold.

The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.

There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them.

The clouds still circled the  
sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky.

We picked our way down to the beach, Paolo leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Lacy and the boy I thought was named Travis gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Paolo asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches; the other boys clustered, shouting at each other excitedly, on either side of me.

Paolo kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter.

"No," I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee.

"You'll like this then — watch the colors." He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood.

"It's blue," I said in surprise.

"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught, and then came to sit by me.

“Why do you have a lighter Paolo?” I asked, randomly catching onto the white colored pearly lighter.

“I don’t smoke if that is what you are worried about.” Paolo said defensibly, which further increased my suspicions. 

Thankfully, Cecil was on his other side claimed his attention and I was relieved from having to explain the hazards of smoking. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky.

After a half hour of chatter, some of the girls wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools, while most of the boys wanted to head to the one store in the village for food.

It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools and wasn’t even hungry. 

They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, I'd also fallen into them a lot. 

Not a big deal when  
you're seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Nico's request — that I not fall into the ocean.

Jake was the one who made my decision for me. He didn't want to hike, and his voice was the strongest in the boys who demanded food.

Most of the other boys besides Austin and Cecil decided to go to the village as well. 

I waited until Drew and Lacy had committed to remain with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. 

Paolo gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming.

The hike wasn't too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to  
be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very  
carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind.

Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again.

It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. 

Along its pebbled banks,  
shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life.

I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound  
by the natural aquarium below me. 

The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated  
ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small  
black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed, except for one small part of my mind that wondered what Nico was doing now, and trying to imagine what he would be saying if he were here with me.

Finally the boys in the hiking group were hungry too, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. 

I tried to keep up better this time through the woods but my mind was still preoccupied with the beautiful things I witnessed, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse.

For some reason anytime I thought about Nico my clumsiness was increase tenfold.

When we got back to First Beach, the group we'd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize.

The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while  
Lacy introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. 

Austin and I were the last to  
arrive, and, as Lacy said our names, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest.

I sat down next to Kayla, and Paolo brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with him. 

All I caught was that one of the girls was named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named  
Jacob, they were brother and sister.

It was relaxing to sit with Kayla; she was a restful kind of person to be around — she  
didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter.

She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others.  
And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me.

During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the  
waves.

As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Paolo — with Cecil shadowing him — headed up to the one shop in the village again. 

Some of the local kids went  
with them; others went along on the hike. 

By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting  
alone on my driftwood log, with Jake and Drew occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched  
around the circle, including the boy named Jacob, his sister and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson.

A few minutes after Kayla left with the hikers, Jessica sauntered over to take her place by my side. She looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck.

Her skin was beautiful, silky and russet colored; her eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of her cheekbones. She still had just a hint of childish roundness left around her chin. Altogether, a very pretty face.

However, my positive opinion of her looks was damaged by the first words out of her  
mouth.

"You're William Solace, aren't you?"  
It was like the first day of school all over again.

"Will," I sighed.

"I'm Jessica Black." She held her hand out in a friendly gesture. "You bought my dad's truck."

"Oh," I said, relieved, shaking her sleek hand.

"You're Billy's daughter. I probably should remember you."

"No, Me and Jacob are the youngest of the family — you would remember my older sisters"

"Rachel and Rebecca," I suddenly recalled. Lester and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. 

We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, I'd kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven.

"Are they here?" I examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering if I would  
recognize them now.

"No." Jessica shook his head.

"Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and  
Rebecca married a Samoan surfer — she lives in Hawaii now."

"Married. Wow." I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was.

"So how do you like the truck?" she asked.

"I love it. It runs great."

"Yeah, but it's really slow," she laughed. "I was so relived when Lester bought it. My  
dad wouldn't let me and Jacob work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."

"It's not that slow," I objected.

"Have you tried to go over sixty?"

"No," I admitted.

"Good. Don't." She grinned.  
I couldn't help grinning back.

"It does great in a collision," I offered in my truck's defense.

"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," she agreed with another laugh.

"So you build cars?" I asked, impressed.

"Me and Jacob both. When we have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" She added jokingly.

She had a pleasant, open, husky voice.

"Sorry," I laughed, "I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you." As if I knew what that was. Even being a boy cars never interested me. I rather play an instrument rather than cover my face with grease.

She was very easy to talk with.

She flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to  
recognize. I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"You know Will, Jessica?" Jake asked — in what I imagined was an insolent tone — from across the fire.

"We've sort of known each other since I was born," she laughed, smiling at me again.

"How cool." he didn't sound like he thought it was cool at all, and hid pale, fishy eyes narrowed.

"Will," he called again, watching my face carefully, "I was just saying to Drew that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" His expression of concern was unconvincing.

"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Jake's irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.

"Yes, do you know them?" He asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him.

"The Cullens don't come here," he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.

Drew, trying to win back his attention, asked Jake's opinion on a CD she held. He  
was distracted.

I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark  
forest behind us. 

He'd said that the Cullens didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more — that they weren't allowed; they were prohibited. 

His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success.

Jessica interrupted my meditation. "So is Forks driving you insane yet?"

"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement." I grimaced.

She grinned understandingly.  
I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn't have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jessica was as yet inexperienced around boys, so that she wouldn't see through my sure-to be-pitiful attempts at flirting.

"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" I asked, trying to imitate that way  
Nico had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldn't have nearly the  
same effect, I was sure, but Jessica jumped up willingly enough.

“I have to ask my brother though” She explained annoyed that she had to take permission.  
I grinned, maybe I was better than I thought, I thought to myself.

“Sure” I said kicking the sand beneath my shoes to kill the time as Jessica went to whisper something to her brother.

Jacob looked at me and smiled, seeming to remember me after all that time, I grinned in return and he nodded to her sister.  
Jessica skipped back happily to me.

As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the  
clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.  
"So you're, what, sixteen?" I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as I grinned what I thought to be a charming smile though I had no idea.

"I just turned fifteen," she confessed, flattered.

"Really?" My face was full of false surprise. "I would have thought you were older."

"I'm pretty mature for my age," she explained smiling.

"Do you come up to Forks much?" I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. 

I sounded idiotic to myself. I was afraid she would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but she still seemed flattered.

"Not too much," she admitted with a frown. "But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want — after I get my license," she amended.

"Who was that other boy Jake was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us." I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jessica.

"That's Sam — he's nineteen," she informed me.

"What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?" I asked innocently.

"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." She looked away, out toward James Island, as she confirmed what I'd thought I'd heard in Sam's voice.

"Why not?"

She glanced back at me, biting her lip. "Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that”

"Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious." I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering  
if I was laying it on too thick.

She smiled back, though, looking allured. But a frown came back again.  
“Jacob would mind” She explained.

I arched an eyebrow. “How about this remains a secret between me and you” I said as smoothly I could.

“You wouldn’t spill it all to your cocky blonde friend” She asked smiling a little.

“Jake? Of course. We’re like brothers. I tell him every thing” I said sarcasm laced in every syllable.

She laughed wholeheartedly. When she laughed it made me feel I was funnier than I was actually was. 

Then she lifted one eyebrow and her voice dropped and, it was even huskier than before.

"Do you like scary stories?" She asked ominously.

"I love them," I enthused, making an effort to smolder at her.

Jessica strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the  
attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. She perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath her on the body of the tree. She stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of her thin lips. I could see she was going to try to make this good.

I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from — the Quileute’s, I  
mean?" She began.

"Not really," I admitted.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood — supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." She smiled, to show me how little stock she put in the histories.

"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves — and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them.

"Then there are the stories about the cold ones." Her voice dropped a little lower.

"The cold ones?" I asked, not faking my intrigue now.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great—grandfather knew some of them. He was the  
one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." She rolled her eyes.

"Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged.

"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf—well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves have enemies?"

"Only one."  
I stared at her earnestly, hoping to disguise my impatience as admiration.

"So you see," Jessica continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did — they weren't supposed to be dangerous to  
the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." She winked at me.

“Who?” I asked, a little off guard by her wink.

“Humans… But in your case they would be called tanned faces.” She said showing her white teeth.

I tried not to blush at that comment.

"If they weren't dangerous, then why… ?"I tried to understand, struggling not to let her see how seriously I was considering his ghost story.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized  
like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." She  
deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into her tone.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?"

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

I tried to keep my voice casual. "So how does it fit in with the Cullens ? Are they like the cold ones your great grandfather met?”

"No." She paused dramatically. "They are the same ones."

She must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. She smiled, pleased, and continued.

"There are more of them now, two new females and two new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Calypso. She'd been here  
and gone before your people had even arrived." She was fighting a smile.

"And what are they?" I finally asked. "What are the cold ones?"

She smiled darkly.  
"Blood drinkers," she replied in a chilling voice. "Your people call them vampires."

I stared out at the rough surf after she answered, not sure what my face was exposing.

"You have goose bumps," she laughed delightedly.

"You're a good storyteller," I complimented her, still staring into the waves.

"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad and Jacob doesn't want me to talk about it to anyone."

I couldn't control my expression enough to look at her yet. "Don't worry, I won't give you away."

"I guess I just violated the treaty," she laughed.

"I'll take it to the grave," I promised, and then I shivered.

"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Lester. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there."

"I won't, of course not."

"So do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" She asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. 

I still hadn't looked away from the ocean.

I turned and smiled at her as normally as I could.

"No. I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?" I held up my arm.

"Cool." She smiled.

And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Paolo and Cecil about fifty yards away, walking toward us.

"There you are, Will," Paolo called in relief, waving his arm over his head.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Jessica asked, picking up the edge in Paolo's voice. 

I was surprised it was so obvious.

"No, why does everyone think that?," I groaned.

Jessica laughed. “Maybe he wants everyone to think so”

I sighed. 

“Wait you know I am Bi?” I asked confused when I had told her.

“Yeah. You told Rebecca and she told me” She said smiling.

I was tremendously grateful to Jessica, and eager to make her as happy as possible. 

I winked at her, carefully turning away from Paolo to do so. She smiled, elated by my inept flirting.

"So when I get my license…" she began.

"You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime." I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that I'd used her. But I really did like Jessica. She was someone I could easily be friends with.

Paolo had reached us now, with Cecil still a few paces back. I could see his eyes  
appraising Jessica, and looking satisfied at her obvious youth.

"Where have you been?" he asked, though the answer was right in front of him.

"Jessica was just telling me some local legends" I volunteered. "It was really interesting."

I smiled at Jessica warmly, and she grinned back.

"Well," Paolo paused, carefully reassessing the situation as he watched our camaraderie.

"We're packing up — it looks like it's going to rain soon."

We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain.

"Okay." I jumped up. "I'm coming."

"It was nice to see you again," Jessica said, and I could tell she was taunting Paolo just a bit.

"It really was. Next time Lester comes down to see Billy, I'll come, too," I promised.

Her grin stretched across his face. "That would be nice."

"And thanks," I added earnestly.

I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the parking lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, making black spots on the stones where they landed.

When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Austin and Malcolm, announcing that I'd already had my turn in the shotgun position. Austin just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Malcolm twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Kayla’s attention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very hard not to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask me any query that you have regarding the plot and enjoy!!!


	7. Soughting out (Nightmare)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't you fell sometimes that even though you know something is not true and you have ll the proof but you still stubbornly believe that thing.
> 
> Will thinks the same, it is just to late now.
> 
> He is already in love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After almost a year I think...?!?
> 
> Istg I am not dead guys! I went on a hiatus... if you can call it that he he... 
> 
> Anyways Happy Pride Month!!!! *throws confetti*
> 
> again... uwu I am really sorry... *bows in apology

**_ 6\. Soughting out (Nightmare) _ **

I told Lester I had a lot of homework to do, and that I didn't want anything to eat.

There was a basketball game on that he was excited about, though of course I had every idea what was special about it, but he wasn't aware of anything unusual in my face or tone.

Once in my room, I locked the door. I dug through my desk until I found my old headphones, and I plugged them into my little CD player.

I picked up a CD that Michael had given to me for Christmas. It was one of his favorite bands, but they used a little too much bass and shrieking for my tastes. I popped it into place and lay down on my bed. I put on the headphones, hit Play, and turned up the volume until it hurt my ears. 

I closed my eyes, but the light still intruded, so I added a pillow over the top half of my face.

I concentrated very carefully on the music, trying to understand the lyrics, to unravel the complicated drum patterns. By the third time I'd listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, at least. I was surprised to find that I really did like the band after all, once I got past the blaring noise. I'd have to thank Michael again.

And it worked. The shattering beats made it impossible for me to think — which was the whole purpose of the exercise. I listened to the CD again and again, until I was singing along with all the songs, until, finally, I fell asleep.

I opened my eyes to a familiar place. Aware in some corner of my consciousness that I was dreaming, I recognized the green light of the forest. I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere nearby. 

And I knew that if I found the ocean, I'd be able to see the sun. I was trying to follow the sound, but then Jessica Black was there, tugging on my hand, pulling me back toward the blackest part of the forest.

"Jessica? What's wrong?" I asked. Her face was frightened as she yanked with all her strength against my resistance; I didn't want to go into the dark.

"Run, Will, you have to run!" She whispered, terrified.

"This way, Will!" I recognized Paolo's voice calling out of the gloomy heart of the trees, but I couldn't see him.

"Why?" I asked, still pulling against Jessica’s grasp, desperate now to find the sun.

But Jessica let go of my hand and yelped, suddenly shaking, falling to the dim forest floor. She twitched on the ground as I watched in horror.

"Jessica!" I screamed. But she was gone. In her place was a large red-brown wolf with black eyes. The wolf faced away from me, pointing toward the shore, the hair on the back of her shoulders bristling, low growls issuing from between her exposed fangs.

"Will, run!" Paolo cried out again from behind me. But I didn't turn. I was watching alight coming toward me from the beach.

And then Nico stepped out from the trees, his skin faintly glowing, his eyes black and dangerous. He held up one hand and beckoned me to come to him. The wolf growled at my feet. I took a step forward, toward Nico. He smiled then, and his teeth were sharp, pointed.

"Trust me," he purred.

I took another step.  
The wolf launched herself across the space between me and the vampire, fangs aiming for the jugular.

"No!" I screamed, wrenching upright out of my bed.

My sudden movement caused the headphones to pull the CD player off the bedside table, and it clattered to the wooden floor.

My light was still on, and I was sitting fully dressed on the bed, with my shoes on. I glanced, disoriented, at the clock on my dresser. It was five-thirty in the morning.

I groaned, fell back, and rolled over onto my face, kicking off my boots. I was too uncomfortable to get anywhere near sleep, though.

I rolled back over and unbuttoned my jeans, yanking them off awkwardly as I tried to stay horizontal. . I pulled the pillow back over my eyes.

It was all no use, of course. My subconscious had dredged up exactly the images I'd been trying so desperately to avoid. I was going to have to face them now.

I sat up, and my head spun for a minute as the blood flowed downward. First things first, I thought to myself, happy to put it off as long as possible. I grabbed my bathroom bag.

The shower didn't last nearly as long as I hoped it would, though. Even taking the time to blow-dry my hair, I was soon out of things to do in the bathroom. Wrapped in a towel, I crossed back to my room. I couldn't tell if Lester was still asleep, or if he had already left.  
I went to look out my window, and the cruiser was gone. Fishing again.

I dressed slowly in my most comfy sweats and then made my bed — something I never did. I couldn't put it off any longer. I went to my desk and switched on my old computer.

I hated using the Internet here. My modem was sadly outdated, my free service substandard; just dialing up took so long that I decided to go get myself a bowl of cereal while I waited.

I ate slowly, chewing each bite with care. When I was done, I washed the bowl and spoon, dried them, and put them away. My feet dragged as I climbed the stairs. I went to my CD player first, picking it up off the floor and placing it precisely in the center of the table.

I pulled out the headphones, and put them away in the desk drawer. Then I turned  
the same CD on, turning it down to the point where it was background noise.

With another sigh, I turned to my computer. Naturally, the screen was covered in pop-up ads. I sat in my hard folding chair and began closing all the little windows. 

Eventually I made it to my favorite search engine. I shot down a few more pop-ups and then typed in one word.

_Vampire._

It took an infuriatingly long time, of course. When the results came up, there was a lot to sift through everything from movies and TV shows to role-playing games, underground metal, and Gothic cosmetic companies.

Then I found a promising site — Vampires A—Z. I waited impatiently for it to load, quickly clicking closed each ad that flashed across the screen. Finally the screen was finished — simple white background with black text, academic-looking. 

Two quotes greeted me on the home page:  
_Throughout the vast shadowy world of ghosts and demons there is no figure so terrible, no figure so dreaded and abhorred, yet dight with such fearful fascination, as the vampire, who is himself neither ghost nor demon, but yet who partakes the dark natures and possesses the mysterious and terrible qualities of both._   
**_—Rev. Montague Summers_**

_If there is in this world a well-attested account, it is that of the vampires. Nothing is lacking: official reports, affidavits of well-known people, of surgeons, of priests, of magistrates; the judicial proof is most complete. And with all that, who is there who believes in vampires?_   
**_—Rousseau_**

The rest of the site was an alphabetized listing of all the different myths of vampires held throughout the world.

The first I clicked on, the **_Danag,_** was a Filipino vampire supposedly responsible for planting taro on the islands long ago. The myth continued that the Danag worked with humans for many years, but the partnership ended one day when a woman cut her finger and a Danag sucked her wound, enjoying the taste so much that it drained her body completely of blood.

I read carefully through the descriptions, looking for anything that sounded familiar, let alone plausible.

It seemed that most vampire myths centered around beautiful women as demons and children as victims; they also seemed like constructs created to explain away  
the high mortality rates for young children, and to give men an excuse for infidelity.

Many of the stories involved bodiless spirits and warnings against improper burials.  
There wasn't much that sounded like the movies I'd seen, and only a very few, like the **_Hebrew Estrie_** and the **_Polish Upier,_** who were even preoccupied with drinking blood.

Only three entries really caught my attention: the **_Romanian Varacolaci,_** a powerful undead being who could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the **_Slovak Nelapsi,_** a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight, and one other, the **_Stregoni benefici._**

About this last there was only one brief sentence.  
_**Stregoni benefici:** An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires._

It was a relief, that one small entry, the one myth among hundreds that claimed the existence of good vampires.

Overall, though, there was little that coincided with Jessica’s stories or my own  
observations. I'd made a little catalogue in my mind as I'd read and carefully compared it with each myth.

Speed, strength, beauty, pale skin, eyes that shift color; and then Jessica’s criteria: blood drinkers, enemies of the werewolf, cold-skinned, and immortal.

There were very few myths that matched even one factor.

And then another problem, one that I'd remembered from the small number of scary movies that I'd seen and was backed up by today's reading — vampires couldn't come out in the daytime, the sun would burn them to a cinder. 

They slept in coffins all day and came out only at night.

Aggravated, I snapped off the computer's main power switch, not waiting to shut things down properly. Through my irritation, I felt overwhelming embarrassment. It was all so stupid. I was sitting in my room, researching vampires. 

_What was wrong with me?_   
I decided that most of the blame belonged on the doorstep of the town of Forks — and the entire sodden Olympic Peninsula, for that matter.

I had to get out of the house, but there was nowhere I wanted to go that didn't involve a three-day drive. I pulled on my boots anyway, unclear where I was headed, and went downstairs. I shrugged into my raincoat without checking the weather and stomped out the door.

It was overcast, but not raining yet. I ignored my truck and started east on foot, angling across Lester’s yard toward the ever-encroaching forest. It didn't take long till I was deep enough for the house and the road to be invisible, for the only sound to be the squish of the damp earth under my feet and the sudden cries of the jays.

There was a thin ribbon of a trail that led through the forest here, or I wouldn't risk wandering on my own like this. My sense of direction was hopeless; I could get lost in much less helpful surroundings.   
The trail wound deeper and deeper into the forest, mostly east as far as I could tell. It snaked around the Sitka spruces and the hemlocks, the yews and the maples. 

I only vaguely knew the names of the trees around me, and all I knew was due to Lester pointing them out to me from the cruiser window in earlier days.

There were many I didn't know, and others I couldn't be sure about because they were so covered in green parasites.

I followed the trail as long as my anger at myself pushed me forward. As that started to ebb, I slowed. A few drops of moisture trickled down from the canopy above me, but I couldn't be certain if it was beginning to rain or if it was simply pools left over from yesterday, held high in the leaves above me, slowly dripping their way back to the earth.

A recently fallen tree — I knew it was recent because it wasn't entirely carpeted in moss — rested against the trunk of one of her sisters, creating a sheltered little bench just a few safe feet off the trail.

I stepped over the ferns and sat carefully, making sure my jacket was between the damp seat and my clothes wherever they touched, and leaned my  
hooded head back against the living tree.

This was the wrong place to have come. I should have known, but where else was there to go? The forest was deep green and far too much like the scene in last night's dream to allow for peace of mind. Now that there was no longer the sound of my soggy footsteps, the silence was piercing.

The birds were quiet, too, the drops increasing in frequency, so it must be raining above. The ferns stood higher than my head, now that I was seated, and  
I knew someone could walk by on the path, three feet away, and not see me.

Here in the trees it was much easier to believe the absurdities that embarrassed me indoors. Nothing had changed in this forest for thousands of years, and all the myths and legends of a hundred different lands seemed much more likely in this green haze than  
they had in my clear-cut bedroom.

I forced myself to focus on the two most vital questions I had to answer, but I did so  
unwillingly.

First, I had to decide if it was possible that what Jessica had said about the Cullens could be true.

Immediately my mind responded with a resounding negative. It was silly and morbid to entertain such ridiculous notions. 

But what, then? I asked myself. There was no rational explanation for how I was alive at this moment. I listed again in my head the things I'd observed myself: the impossible speed and strength, the eye color shifting from black to gold and back again, the inhuman beauty, the pale, frigid skin. And more — small things that registered slowly — how they never seemed to eat, the disturbing grace with which they moved. And the way be sometimes spoke, with unfamiliar cadences and phrases that better fit the style of a turn-of-the-century novel than that of a twenty-first-century classroom. 

He had skipped class the day we'd done blood typing. He hadn't said no to the beach trip till he heard  
where we were going. He seemed to know what everyone around him was thinking… except me.  
He had told me he was the villain, dangerous…

_Could the Cullens be vampires?_

Well, they were something. Something outside the possibility of rational justification was taking place in front of my incredulous eyes. 

Whether it be Jessica's cold ones or my own Greek god theory,  
Nico Cullen was not… human.

He was something more.  
So then — maybe. That would have to be my answer for now.

And then the most important question of all. What was I going to do if it was true?  
If Nico was a vampire — I could hardly make myself think the words — then what should I do? Involving someone else was definitely out. I couldn't even believe myself; anyone I told, would have me committed in a mental hospital.

Only two options seemed practical. The first was to take his advice: to be smart, to avoid him as much as possible. To cancel our plans, to go back to ignoring him as far as I was able. To pretend there was an impenetrably thick glass wall between us in the one class where we were forced together. To tell him to leave me alone — and mean it this time.

I was gripped in a sudden agony of despair as I considered that alternative.

My mind rejected the pain, quickly skipping on to the next option.

I could do nothing different. After all, if he was something… sinister, he'd done nothing to hurt me so far. In fact, I would be a dent in Drew's fender if he hadn't acted so quickly.

So quickly, I argued with myself, that it might have been sheer reflexes. But if it was a reflex to save lives, how bad could he be? I retorted. My head spun around in answer less circles.

There was one thing I was sure of, if I was sure of anything. The dark Nico in my  
dream last night was a reflection only of my fear of the word Jessica had spoken, and not Nico himself. Even so, when I'd screamed out in terror at the werewolf's lunge, it wasn't fear for the wolf that brought the cry of "no" to my lips. It was fear that he would be harmed — even as he called to me with sharp-edged fangs, I feared for him.

And I knew in that I had my answer. I didn't know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too deep. Now that I knew —if I knew — I could do nothing about my frightening secret.

Because when I thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now.

Even if… but I couldn't think it. Not here, alone in the darkening forest. Not while the rain made it dim as twilight under the canopy and pattered like footsteps across the matted earthen floor. I shivered and rose quickly from my place of concealment, worried  
that somehow the path would have disappeared with the rain.

But it was there, safe and clear, winding its way out of the dripping green maze. I  
followed it hastily, my hood pulled close around my face, becoming surprised, as I nearly ran through the trees, at how far I had come. I started to wonder if I was heading out at all, or following the path farther into the confines of the forest. 

Before I could get too panicky, though, I began to glimpse some open spaces through the webbed branches. 

And then I could hear a car passing on the street, and I was free, Lester's lawn stretched out in front of me, the house beckoning me, promising warmth and dry socks.

It was just noon when I got back inside. I went upstairs and got dressed for the day,  
jeans and a t-shirt, since I was staying indoors. It didn't take too much effort to  
concentrate on my task for the day, a paper on Macbeth that was due Wednesday. I settled into outlining a rough draft contentedly, more serene than I'd felt since… well, since Thursday afternoon, if I was being honest.

That had always been my way, though. Making decisions was the painful part for me,  
the part I agonized over. But once the decision was made, I simply followed through — usually with relief that the choice was made. 

Sometimes the relief was tainted by despair, like my decision to come to Forks. But it was still better than wrestling with the alternatives.

This decision was ridiculously easy to live with. Dangerously easy.

And so the day was quiet, productive — I finished my paper before eight. Lester came home with a large catch, and I made a mental note to pick up a book of recipes for fish while I was in Seattle next week. The chills that flashed up my spine whenever I thought of that trip were no different than the ones I'd felt before I'd taken my walk with Jessica Black. 

They should be different, I thought. I should be afraid — I knew I should be, but I couldn't feel the right kind of fear.

I slept dreamlessly that night, exhausted from beginning my day so early, and sleeping so poorly the night before. I woke, for the second time since arriving in Forks, to the bright yellow light of a sunny day. I skipped to the window, stunned to see that there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and those there were just fleecy little white puffs that couldn't possibly be carrying any rain.

I opened the window — surprised when it opened silently, without sticking, not having opened it in who knows how many years — and sucked in the relatively dry air. It was nearly warm and hardly windy at all. My blood was electric in my veins.

Lester was finishing breakfast when I came downstairs, and he picked up on my mood immediately.  
"Nice day out," he commented.

"Yes," I agreed with a grin.  
He smiled back, his blue eyes crinkling around the edges.

When Lester smiled, it was easier to see why he and my mother had jumped too quickly into an early marriage.  
Most of the young romantic he'd been in those days had faded before I'd known him, as the curly blonde hair — the same color, if not the same texture, as mine — had dwindled, slowly revealing more and more of the shiny skin of his forehead. He was still good looking but not as much as he had been. I wouldn't say that to his face though, he could turn even more narcissist. 

But when he smiled I could see a little of the man who had run away with Naomi when she was just two years older than I was now.

I ate breakfast cheerily, watching the dust moats stirring in the sunlight that streamed in the back window. Lester called out a goodbye, and I heard the cruiser pull away from the house. 

I hesitated on my way out the door, what if I went outside and rain came again? With a sigh, I stepped out into the brightest light I'd seen in months.

By dint of much elbow grease, I was able to get both windows in the truck almost completely rolled down. I was one of the first ones to school; I hadn't even checked the clock in my hurry to get outside. I parked and headed toward the seldom-used picnic benches on the south side of the cafeteria. The benches were still a little damp, But I didn’t mind, so I sat. My homework was done — the product of a slow  
social life — but there were a few Trig problems I wasn't sure I had right. I took out my book industriously, but halfway through rechecking the first problem I was daydreaming, watching the sunlight play on the red-barked trees. 

I sketched inattentively along the margins of my homework. After a few minutes, I suddenly realized I'd drawn five pairs of  
dark eyes staring out of the page at me. I scrubbed them out with the eraser.

"Will!" I heard someone call, and it sounded like Paolo.

I looked around to realize that the school had become populated while I'd been sitting there, absentminded.

Everyone was in t-shirts, some even in shorts though the temperature couldn't be over sixty. Paolo was coming toward me in khaki shorts and a striped Rugby shirt, waving.

"Hey, Paolo," I called, waving back, unable to be halfhearted on a morning like this.

He came to sit by me, the tidy curls of his hair shining Reddish in the light, his grin  
stretching across his face. He was so delighted to see me, I couldn't help but feel  
gratified.

"I never noticed before — your hair literally glows," he commented, catching between his fingers a strand that was fluttering in the light breeze.

"Only in the sun."

I became just a little uncomfortable as he ruffled my hair keeping his hands on my head more than a bit necessary.

"Great day, isn't it?"

"My kind of day," I agreed.

"What did you do yesterday?" His tone was just a bit too proprietary.

"I mostly worked on my essay." I didn't add that I was finished with it — no need to sound smug.

He hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Oh yeah — that's due Thursday, right?"

"Um, Wednesday, I think."

"Wednesday?" He frowned.

"That's not good… What are you writing yours on?"

"Whether Shakespeare's treatment of the female characters is misogynistic."

He stared at me like I'd just spoken in pig Latin. Which also isn't that hard to understand but I guessed that I just a bit more of a nerd when it came to these things.

"I guess I'll have to get to work on that tonight," he said, deflated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go out."

"Oh." I was taken off guard. Why couldn't I ever have a pleasant conversation with Paolo anymore without it getting awkward?

"Well, we could go to dinner or something… and I could work on it later." He smiled at me hopefully.  
"Paolo…" I hated being put on the spot. "I don't think that would be the best idea."

His face fell. "Why?" he asked, his eyes guarded. My thoughts flickered to Nico, wondering if that's where his thoughts were as well.

"I think… and if you ever repeat what I'm saying right now I will cheerfully beat you to death," I threatened, "but I think that would hurt Cecil's feelings."

He was bewildered, obviously not thinking in that direction at all. "Cecil?"

"Really, Paolo, are you blind ?"

"Oh," he exhaled — clearly dazed.   
I took advantage of that to make my escape.

"It's time for class, and I can't be late again." I gathered my books up and stuffed them in my bag.

We walked in silence to building three, and his expression was distracted. I hoped whatever thoughts he was immersed in were leading him in the right direction.

When I saw Cecil in Trig, he was bubbling with enthusiasm. He, Austin, and Jake were going to Port Angeles tonight to go tuxedo shopping for the dance, and then watching a horror movie and he wanted me to come, too, even though I didn't need one. 

I was indecisive. It would be nice to get out of town with a gang, but Jake would be there.

And who knew what I could be doing tonight… But that was definitely the wrong path to let my mind wander  
down. Of course I was happy about the sunlight. But that wasn't completely responsible  
for the euphoric mood I was in, not even close.

So I gave him a maybe, telling him I'd have to talk with Lester first.

He talked of nothing but the dance on the way to Spanish, continuing as if without an  
interruption when class finally ended, five minutes late, and we were on our way to lunch. I was far too lost in my own frenzy of anticipation to notice much of what she said.

I was painfully eager to see not just him but all the Cullens — to compare them with the new suspicions that plagued my mind.

As I crossed the threshold of the cafeteria, I felt the first true tingle of fear slither down my spine and settle in my stomach. Would they be able to know what I was thinking?

And then a different feeling jolted through me — would Nico be waiting to sit with me again?

As was my routine, I glanced first toward the Cullens ' table. A shiver of panic trembled in my stomach as I realized it was empty. With dwindling hope, my eyes scoured the rest of the cafeteria, hoping to find him alone, waiting for me. 

The place was nearly filled — Spanish had made us late — but there was no sign of Nico or any of his family.

Desolation hit me with crippling strength.

I shambled along behind Cecil, not bothering to pretend to listen anymore.

We were late enough that everyone was already at our table. I avoided the empty chair next to Paolo in favor of one by Malcolm. I vaguely noticed that Paolo held the chair out politely for Cecil, and that his face lit up in response.

Malcolm asked a few quiet questions about the Macbeth paper, which I answered as naturally as I could while spiraling downward in misery.

Austin interrupted in between then, inviting me to go with them tonight, and I agreed now, grasping at anything to distract myself.

I realized I'd been holding on to a last shred of hope when I entered Biology, saw his empty seat, and felt a new wave of disappointment.

The rest of the day passed slowly, dismally. In Gym, we had a lecture on the rules of badminton, the next game they had lined up for me. But at least it meant I got to sit and listen instead of stumbling around on the court, mind focused on the most distracting subject.

The best part was the coach didn't finish, so I got another day off tomorrow.

Never mind that the day after they would arm me with a racket before unleashing me on the rest of the class. I was glad to leave campus, so I would be free to pout and mope before I went out tonight with Cecil and company. 

But right after I walked in the door of Lester's house, Cecil called to cancel our plans. I tried to be happy that Paolo had asked him out to dinner — I really was relieved that he finally seemed to be catching on — but my enthusiasm sounded false in my own ears. He rescheduled our shopping trip for tomorrow night.

Which left me with little in the way of distractions. I had fish marinating for dinner,  
with a salad and bread left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there.

I spent a focused half hour on homework, but then I was through with that, too. I checked my e-mail, reading the backlog of letters from my mother, getting snippier as they progressed to the present. I sighed and typed a quick response.

Mom,  
Sorry. I've been out. I went to the beach with some friends. And I had to write a paper.

My excuses were fairly pathetic, so I gave up on that.

It's sunny outside today - I know, I'm shocked, too - so I'm going to go outside and soak up as much vitamin D as I can. I love you,  
Will.

I decided to kill an hour with non-school-related reading. I had a small collection of books that came with me to Forks, the shabbiest volume being a compilation of the works of Rick Riordan. I selected that one and headed to the backyard, grabbing a ragged old quilt from the linen cupboard at the top of the stairs on my way down.

Outside in Lester's small, square yard, I folded the quilt in half and laid it out of the reach of the trees' shadows on the thick lawn that would always be slightly wet, no matter how long the sun shone.

I lay on my stomach, crossing my ankles in the air, flipping through the different novels in the book, trying to decide which would occupy my mind the most thoroughly. My favorites were War and Peace and Sound of the Fury.

I'd read the first most recently, so I started into War and Peace, only to remember after I began, that the name of one of the characters of the story happened to be named Nicolai. Angrily, I turned to Sound of the Fury, but the hero of that piece was named Jason, and that was just too close. Weren't there any other names available in the late eighteenth century? I snapped the book shut, annoyed, and rolled over onto my back. I pushed my sleeves up as high as they would go, and closed my eyes. I would think of nothing but the warmth on my skin, I told myself severely. 

The breeze was still light, but it blew tendrils of my hair around my face and that tickled a bit. I ruffled my hair a bit, and focused again on the heat that touched my eyelids, my cheekbones, my nose, my lips, my forearms, my neck, soaked through my light shirt…  
The next thing I was conscious of was the sound of Lester's cruiser turning onto the bricks of the driveway. I sat up in surprise, realizing the light was gone, behind the trees, and I had fallen asleep. I looked around, muddled, with the sudden feeling that I wasn't alone.

"Lester?" I asked. But I could hear his door slamming in front of the house.

I jumped up, foolishly edgy, gathering the now-damp quilt and my book. I ran inside but not before looking back one more to confirm if there was someone or not, to get some oil heating on the stove, realizing that dinner would be late. Charlie was hanging up his gun belt and stepping out of his boots when I came in.

"Sorry, Dad, dinner's not ready yet — I fell asleep outside." I stifled a yawn.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I wanted to catch the score on the game, anyway."  
I watched TV with Lester after dinner, for something to do. There wasn't anything on I wanted to watch, but he knew I liked baseball, but didn’t want to watch it so he turned it to some mindless sitcom that neither of us enjoyed. He seemed happy, though, to be doing something together. And it felt good, despite my depression, to make him happy.

"Dad," I said during a commercial, "Cecil and Austin are going to look at tuxedos for the dance tomorrow night in Port Angeles, and they wanted me to help them choose… do you mind if I go with them?"

"Cecil Stanley?" he asked.

"And Austin Weber." I sighed as I gave him the details.

He was confused. "But you're not going to the dance, right?"

"No, Dad, but I'm helping them find tuxes — you know, giving them constructive  
criticism." 

"Well, okay." He seemed to realize that he was out of his depth with the high school stuff.  
"It's a school night, though."

"We'll leave right after school, so we can get back early. You'll be okay for dinner, right?"

"Will, I fed myself for seventeen years before you got here," he reminded me.

"I don't know how you survived," I muttered, then added more clearly, "I'll leave some things for cold-cut sandwiches in the fridge, okay? Right on top."

It was sunny again in the morning. I awakened with renewed hope that I grimly tried to suppress. I dressed for the warmer weather in a half sleeved, a little clingy green shirt — something I'd worn in the dead of winter in Phoenix.

I had planned my arrival at school so that I barely had time to make it to class. With a sinking heart, I circled the full lot looking for a space, while also searching for the Black Mercedes that was clearly not there. 

I parked in the last row and hurried to English, arriving breathless, but subdued, before the final bell.

It was the same as yesterday — I just couldn't keep little sprouts of hope from budding in my mind, only to have them squashed painfully as I searched the lunchroom in vain and sat at my empty Biology table.

The Port Angeles scheme was back on again for tonight and made all the more attractive by the fact that Jake had other obligations. I was anxious to get out of town so I could stop glancing over my shoulder, hoping to see him appearing out of the blue the way he always did.

I vowed to myself that I would be in a good mood tonight and not ruin Austin's or Cecil's enjoyment in the tux hunting.

Maybe I could do a little clothes shopping as well. I refused to think that I might be shopping alone in Seattle this weekend, no longer interested in the earlier arrangement. 

Surely he wouldn't cancel without at least telling me.

After school, Cecil followed me home in his old white Mercury so that I could ditch my books and truck.

I brushed through my hair quickly when I was inside, feeling a slight lift of excitement as I contemplated getting out of Forks.

I left a note for Lester on the table, explaining again where to find dinner, switched my scruffy wallet from my school bag to a leather wallet I rarely used, and ran out to join Cecil. We went to Austin's house next, and he was waiting for us. My excitement increased exponentially as we actually drove out of the town limits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so ask any queries if you all have any and cookies to every one still reading this and to those who gave it a chance. (::)
> 
> I promise I will update tomorrow again.
> 
> ....Maybe... :/

**Author's Note:**

> Meh... Confusing I know. I just needed an insane story to do when I was bored so why not? Kudos, comments, hits... Bring it on!


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